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swanqueeneverafter · 4 years ago

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The Once & Future Queen Pt.20

Camelot. Valley. Continued. (Queen Annis heads toward her niece as Morgana turns with a scowl and disappears into Caerleon’s army.) Merida: "What in heaven's name have you done?" Queen Annis: "Hello, Merida. What a pleasant surprise to see you." Merida: "You cannot trust Morgana, she's-" Queen Annis: (Interrupting:) "Allowed me to do what you could not? The once mighty Arthur Pendragon lies dead at my command, not yours. I should always have been the one to claim Dun Broch's throne after Fergus' death." Merida: "I am his daughter and rightful Queen of Dun Broch." Queen Annis: (Scoffs:) "Your people are welcome to you. I have just claimed half of all Camelot in Caerleon's name. You can barely control the members of your own clan." Merida: (When Annis turns to leave:) “Don’t be taken in by Morgana’s fine words. She is consumed by bitterness, it spreads within her like a disease.” Queen Annis: “Have you forgotten how Arthur killed your father? Do you not deny that you sought revenge?” Merida: “Yes, I sought revenge. But that doesn’t mean it was the right thing to do.” Queen Annis: (Laughs with derision:) “You are weak, Merida, as I always thought you were.” (Annis walks away. Hidden in the crowd, Morgana sees Xena and Gabrielle searching for someone. Suspecting that they mean her harm, Morgana turns her attention to Darian and, her eyes glowing, uses her powers on him. Grimacing momentarily, Darian shakes his head. Looking beside him, Darian pulls his long sword from Arthur’s chest and stalks toward his new targets. Spotting Morgana before she disappears further into the crowd, Anastasia turns to see the giant about to split Xena in two with an overhead swing. Thinking quickly, Anastasia uses her powers and Darian's sword disappears mid-swing. Turning to face their attacker, both Xena and Gabrielle draw their weapons.) Gabrielle: "By the gods, he's almost as big as-" Xena: "Grinhilda, I know!" (Ducking a fist from Darian, Xena rolls out of the way. Gabrielle fearlessly jumps onto the behemoth's back but is flung to the ground for her trouble.)

(Xena runs up behind Darian and slashes him across the back. The giant falls to his knees and Gabrielle kicks him down. Xena is poised to strike when soldiers surround them, aiming their crossbows while Agravaine looks on from above. Seeing Xena and Gabrielle stand back to back before being restrained and shackled, Merida surges forward, but is held back by Anastasia.) Merida: (Struggling against her:) “Let me go! We have to help them!” Anastasia: “No! No! We can't help them now. But we can help each other!" (Anastasia waves her hand and they disappear in a cloud of smoke.)

Storybrooke. Swan-Mills House. (Returning from the station, Regina walks along the pathway to admire Emma's handiwork.) Regina: "Hey." Emma: (Turns:) "Hey. Be careful not to trip over any branches." Regina: (Smiles, looking around:) "I'm very impressed." Emma: "Thanks. It's been needing a good going over for awhile now." Regina: "Haven't we all." Emma: (Chuckles:) "You're insatiable." Regina: "Only for you." (They kiss.) Emma: "I've raked the leaves, mowed the lawn and now I'm just finishing up with the hedges." Regina: "Well don't work too hard, you can always just do all this magically." Emma: (Wipes the sweat from her brow with her arm:) "Yeah, I know, but sometimes it's nice to do things the old fashioned way, get a good sweat going." Regina: "I can see that." Emma: (Smiles:) "Don't worry, now that you’re home, I'll use my magic to clear the rest up once I'm done." Regina: "Okay, good. Is Maria sleeping?" Emma: "No, I've got her picking apples from your tree. (When Regina raises an eyebrow:) Relax. (Leans down and picks up the baby monitor:) She went down about half an hour ago." (Tosses it to Regina.) Regina: (Catching it:) "All right well I'll leave you to it. But you know... (Curling her finger into one of Emma's belt loops and pulling her close:) if this is the kind of thing I'm going to be coming home to, I think our retirement is going to be pretty sweet." Emma: "Oh, you have no idea." (They kiss once more, pulling each other close with their free hands as Emma holds the chainsaw in one and Regina cradles Maria's baby monitor in the other.) Forest. Stream. (Lancelot and Guinevere walk along the forest path beside a stream.) Lancelot: “We’re not far now. This stream leads to the lake.” Guinevere: “How did you know?” Lancelot: “I’ve been here many times.” Guinevere: “No, not about the lake. How did you know my feelings for Arthur weren’t real?” Lancelot: “Well... because he’d only been back a day and there was no way you could have possibly forgiven him for those years he kept you by his side against your will.” Guinevere: “Did you suspect, even back then?” Lancelot: “I suppose I always held out hope that you would one day leave him, but I couldn’t have imagined Arthur capable of such an evil act.” Guinevere: “Well, they do say love makes you do strange things. Despite everything that came after, I believe Arthur truly did love me in the beginning.” Lancelot: “What he did to keep you was not an act of love. It was cowardly and unforgivable. Love is about finding someone and thinking about them all the time. It’s about caring about them more than anyone or anything. The Arthur I knew was only ever concerned about his destiny. He never deserved you, Guin.” (Their conversation is cut short at the sound of a rider approaching. Morgana rides through the woods and pulls her horse to a halt at the sight of them.)

Morgana: (Smiles:) “My my. What a delicious coincidence?” Lancelot: “Run Guin! I’ll hold her off.” Morgana: “Aw. How sweet.” (Guinevere begins to run as Lancelot pulls his sword and charges at Morgana. Urging her horse into a gallop, Morgana rides straight at Lancelot. Conjuring a lance into her hand at the last moment, Morgana almost decapitates Lancelot with it, knocking him down to land hard on the forest floor, unconscious. Laughing, Morgana drops the lance and turns her attention towards Guinevere.) A Short Distance Away. (Guinevere dashes through the forest, passing a tree and inadvertently snaps one of its branches in her rush. Morgana continues her pursuit and stops to look for any signs. Spotting the snapped branch, Morgana smiles and heads off in that direction.) Storybrooke. Granny's Diner. (Snow White and Henry sit together in a booth while Henry wears a stunned expression on his face.) Henry: "You're not serious?" Snow White: "Well why not? I'd say you'd be uniquely qualified for the position." Henry: "How did you come to that conclusion?" Snow White: "Henry, you've literally written the book on everyone in this town. Plus, growing up with Regina, you must have sat in on your fair share of Town Hall meetings?" Henry: "Yeah and I was bored out of my mind through all of them. I'm sorry, Grandma, but I'm not the guy you want to run as mayor." (Henry stands.) Snow White: "Promise me you'll at least think about it. It would mean working shorter hours and a heck of a lot less time spent in your car." Henry: "Hey, the taxi service might be a dead end job but at least it has the possibility of excitement. Listening to people complain all day and then going blind doing paperwork is about as far from where I wanna be as I can think of." Snow White: (Slides out of the booth:) "All right, so where do you want to be?" Henry: "I don't know... off on an adventure with my fiancee somewhere. As a matter of fact, I'm only back driving because Ella and I couldn't decide on where we should start looking for one."

Merlin: "I might be able to point you in the right direction." (Snow White and Henry both turn to look at the Sorcerer who sits alone at a table.) Henry: "You know where Ella and I can find ourselves an adventure?" Merlin: "Yes. I believe I know just the place." Henry: "That's great. Where is it?" Merlin: "Ah. Before I tell you, you must first do something for me." Henry: (Looks to Snow White who is unsure about this:) "All right, what is it?" Merlin: "You must promise me that you won't tell your mothers I had anything to do with aiding you on your quest." Henry: (Smiles:) "Deal." Swan-Mills House. (Regina checks in on Maria who's still sleeping soundly, laying on her back with her arms up over her head. Smiling, Regina wonders just what her child could be dreaming about. Although not prone to crying like her big brother was at this age, Maria would nevertheless refuse to sleep alone during Emma's prolonged absence. Indeed, Regina would often find herself watching Maria drift off on those sleepless nights they shared a bed. The fact that on the night of Emma's return, Maria resumed sleeping in her cot without fussing once, only helped confirm Regina's theory that her daughter didn't much like the idea of her mother spending her nights alone. Backing out of the room, Regina leaves the door ajar and heads towards the staircase. Stopping at the large window that overlooks the garden, Regina notices that Emma is still hard at work. Captivated at the sight of the muscles in her wife's arms flexing, accentuated by the perspiration glistening in the sunlight, Regina sinks down onto the window seat to continue watching the show.)

Forest. Continued. (Guinevere runs at full speed now as Morgana gallops through the woods. Guinevere falls, but gets up quickly and keeps going only for Morgana to catch up and cut her off.) Morgana: “Guin. Nice to see you again. Oh, you’ve forgotten. I’ve hunted these woods since I was a child.” Guinevere: “Morgana, please, we were friends once, were we not?” Morgana: “You misunderstand me. I only wish to help. The path to Camelot is that way.” (Morgana points.) Guinevere: “It’s you who has forgotten it seems. I know these woods, too.” Forest Road. Past. (Morgana and Guinevere ride through the woods with an escort.) Morgana: “You look troubled, Guin.” Gunivere: “I’m fine.” Morgana: “You’re very secretive these days. I’m beginning to think there’s a man involved.” Guinevere: (Scoffs:) “When do I get to meet any decent men?” (Suddenly, their party is attacked.) Sir Robert: “My ladies, you must follow me!” (The knight is shot in the back. Guin and Morgana are pulled off their horses. A knight kills the men holding them.) Morgana: “Guin! Head for the path! Go! (Guinevere and Morgana run up the hill, but Kendrick is waiting for them:) I warn you. I am the daughter of Uther Pendragon. He’ll have your heads if any harm comes to me.” Kendrick: “I have no intention of harming you. At least not yet. You’re much more valuable to me alive, Lady Morgana.” Bandit’s Camp. (Morgana and Guinevere observe the bandits from inside a tent.) Morgana: “He’s coming. You know what you must do?” (Guinevere nods.) Kendrick: “I trust you are comfortable?” Morgana: “I demand to know where you’re taking us.” Kendrick: “You’ll find out soon enough. We’ve a long journey ahead of us. Get some rest.” (Kendrick turns to leave, but Morgana walks out of the tent after him.) Morgana: “I wish to bathe.” Kendrick: “You wish to bathe?” Morgana: “I am the King’s daughter and accustomed to certain standards. I am sure you are quite contented to stink like a pig, but I am not.” Kendrick: (Speaks loudly so his men can hear:) “The Lady Morgana wishes to bathe! Who wants to help me guard her?” (Coarse laughter rises from the men.) A Short Time Later. (Morgana begins to undress by a stream, two men guarding her and Guinevere.) Kendrick: “You may find the water a little icy.” Morgana: “I’m sure I’ll manage. (Glances over to see one of the men holding on to Guinevere’s arm. To Kendrick:) If you were any kind of gentleman, you’d give me some privacy.” Kendrick: “Well, unfortunately for you I am no kind of gentleman. Now get on with it.” (Kendrick chuckles and moves closer to her. Morgana removes her outer garment and the second bandit lets go of Guinevere to get a closer look himself.) Morgana: “You can at least turn your backs.” Kendrick: “So you can make a run for it. Do you think I’m that stupid?” Morgana: “I think you’re very stupid. (Guinevere pulls Kendrick’s sword and Morgana hits him, Guinevere tosses her the sword and Morgana slashes both men. To Guinevere:) Run! (The men pursue them through the woods:) No, no, this way!” (Guinevere stumbles and twists her ankle, Morgana stops and goes back to her.) Guinevere: “Run!” Morgana: “Put your arm around my shoulder, come on!” Guinevere: “No, no, no. We’ll never outrun them, you must go on without me!” Morgana: “I’m not leaving you behind!” Forest. Present. (Morgana smiles at the memory.) Morgana: “I remember very well. Truth is, it doesn’t matter which way you go. As long as you’re around, the people will always love you more.” Guinevere: “Morgana, please...” Morgana: “I can’t say I blame them really. You are far too delicate a soul to be mixed up in all this, Guin. I think it’s time to take you off the chessboard and release you from your burdens. (Not sticking around to find out what Morgana means by that, Guinevere starts running. Morgana’s eyes glow and Guinevere screams as she is thrown against a tree. Guinevere falls to the ground, unconscious. Moving her horse to stand over Guinevere:) Nu bebiede ic þe þæt þu lætest þine flæsc sclice gelic nysse. Wyrþ deor!” (Morgana’s eyes glow and a golden shimmer glows over Guinevere’s body. Morgana leaves with a smirk.)

Storybrooke. Swan-Mills House. (Pleased at a job well done, Emma waves her arms in all directions, magically sending all the garden debris into the recycling bin. Brushing her hands together, Emma starts whistling a familiar tune while she gathers up her gardening tools. Her arms now fully laden, Emma turns around to walk back up the path when she catches sight of a vision sitting in the upstairs window. Emitting a long appreciative whistle, Emma drops the tools noisily to the ground as she stares up at Regina, who is clad only in her underwear where any passerby could see her.) Window. (Smiling at Emma's reaction, Regina crooks her finger at her, indicating that she should come inside.) Outside. (Smiling at her wife's brazenness and not needing to be invited twice, Emma walks towards the house.) Forest. (Merida walks several paces ahead of Anastasia, clearly agitated.) Anastasia: (Stops walking:) "So you're pissed at me, is that it?" Merida: (Rounding on her:) "I am furious at you. How could we just leave them there?!" Anastasia: "If we had stayed, we'd be prisoners too." Merida: "Not necessarily. We could have fought. You could've used your magic to-" Anastasia: "To what? Blast the soldiers out of our way?" Merida: "Well it would've been something!" Anastasia: "I understand full well that you only invited me into this little gang of yours because I have magic. But if I used it as callously as you think I should, wouldn't that make me just as bad as Morgana? (Merida says nothing:) You know I'm right." Merida: "Yeah, but I don't have to like it." Anastasia: (Smiles:) "Come on, it'll be getting dark soon and I'm starving. What say you catch and I cook?" Merida: (Softening:) "I wouldn't hold your breath, there doesn't look to be any signs of life out here." Anastasia: "Well, I could always give you a five minute head start, Merida." Merida: "Funny." Anastasia: (Spots movement in the bushes:) "Deer!" (They chase after a doe running through the woods. Splitting up, Anastasia slows to a walk while Merida carries on ahead. She spots the doe and it looks at her. Anastasia senses something and hears Guinevere’s weeping. Anastasia realises what’s happened when she sees Guinevere’s running reflection as the doe passes by a small puddle. Merida arrives and passes Anastasia before taking aim.) Merida: “Well aren’t you a beauty?” (Coming to her senses too slowly to react, Anastasia watches in horror as Merida fires.) Anastasia: “No!”

#sq #swanqueen #swan queen

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immortalpramheda · 4 years ago

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The 100 7x08 ‘Anaconda’

Clarke, Raven and Miller are still reeling from the news that Bellamy is dead. There’s no time to mourn because Anders brings the Shepherd in to see them. Clarke vaguely recognises him - Bill Cadogan, founder of the Second Dawn cult who owned the bunker that Wonkru spent six years in.

The key they keep referring to is the Flame. From only seeing a selected bunch of Octavia’s memories they believe Clarke still has it in her head. Gabriel gives her hints to play along and pretend it’s still in there.

Bill understands Trig because it was his daughter who created the language when she was a child. If the language is still around it means she must have survived to pass it on. And that transitions us into the prequel.

Pre-apocalypse Earth - right before the bombs hit. We meet Bill’s daughter, Callie, and her best friend, Lucy. They’ve just come back from protesting as part of an environmentalist group called ‘Tree Crew’. A news report says a protest against the Wallace Administration (presumably run by Dante’s father) went wrong when the riot police got violent - Callie got bruises and Lucy got a cut that required stitches.

Callie’s mother, Grace, and Bill are separated. Callie is now eighteen and has decided to drop out of MIT college and spend her time fighting for what is right. Her brother, Reese, is allied with their father and his doomsday cult.

Anaconda. The code word that means the missiles are in the air. Grace knows this isn’t a drill and they need to leave now. As Lucy isn’t a Level 12, she can’t come with them. Before Callie knows what’s happening, her mother knocks Lucy out and they head to the bunker in a helicopter as the bombs begin to hit.

Reese is leading people in and checking that they are actually Level 12. A young man named August desperately tries to get back up to his girlfriend, who isn’t a Level 12. Tristin, a young man also loyal to the cult, knocks him out.

Bill is working on the Anomaly Stone in his office. He stole it from underneath a temple in Machu Picchu and they call it the ‘space ball’. On the temple were seven symbols, and as it takes seven points to travel through space, he believes putting the correct code in will open up a portal to another world. But… nothing happens when he puts it in.

Only 92 percent of the Level 12’s Made it to the bunker in time meaning there is still room for more people. Callie wants to go and bring more people in but her father forbids it because they’re not Level 12.

She goes off anyway and finds August, who wants to get out too to get to his girlfriend. It turns out he’s a member of Tree Crew too.

Reese refuses to let anyone open the hatch. He’s trying so hard make his father proud that he’s willing to go along with these things that surely he knows are wrong. But he sticks by his father and doesn’t allow Callie to go out.

Two years later. They’re now allowed above ground with radiation suits on. Callie, Reese, Tristan and a few others are out on a mission. Just as they’re about to head back, they see a ship fall from the sky. BECCA!!! She lands and takes her mask off and says she’s here to help. Callie immediately recognises who she is.

They take her into the bunker. Tristan begins convulsing, he was exposed to radiation. Becca injects him with the nightblood serum to save him.

As they get close to Bill’s office, Becca begins hearing a high pitched sound and her nose starts bleeding. When the Stone is uncovered, she realises it’s coming from there. Harmonic mathematics, she describes it as. It tells her which symbols to press with the final one being infinity symbol. And then the bridge opens.

Becca won’t allow them to go through. They don’t know the science yet, for all they know they’ll die on the journey. She offers to give them all the blood treatment so they can all live above ground while she continues studying it, but Bill won’t allow it.

Callie gets along with Becca very well. She’s always idolised her since she was young. She asks about the scar on her neck and Becca tells her about ALIE 2.0 which she calls the ‘Flame’.

Becca discovers seven of the symbols on the Stone have no sounds. She tries pressing them and the space ball spins and then turns white and she’s sucked into it. When Bill walks in she returns and she’s frightened. She says she saw ‘Judgement Day’ and they’re not ready for that. She’s extremely traumatised by whatever she saw in there and wants to shut it down.

Bill locks Becca up because he doesn’t trust her to not to destroy what could be their salvation. Callie believes she was sent here to help them rebuild the Earth, not help them jump to another. But Bill with his god complex believes he’ll be the one to save them all, not her.

Reese has found Becca’s diary and knows about the Flame. Before she is to be executed, Callie visits her and informs her she’s given the nightblood, as August has named it, to all the kids in the bunker.

Becca refuses to give up the AI and allow Bill to get the code. ‘Goodbye for now’ in latin is the phrase to take the Flame out. The AI can only be merged with someone with the blood alteration and she wholeheartedly believes that in the right mind, it can save the world.

Becca is burned at the stake and Reese takes the Flame. Callie and her army of nightbloods confront him. She challenges her brother to a one on one duel. She has a gun and shoots him, grabs the Flame and injects him with nightblood.

Callie tells her mother they’re heading up to the ground and she helps slam the door of the airlock shut allowing her daughter and her army get to the ground.

Bill tosses his ex-wife, who doesn’t have the blood alteration, into the air lock. She’ll die of radiation soon enough. He orders Reese to find the Flame no matter what it takes.

As Callie leads her people, the first Grounders, to their new home, Bill leads his people, the Disciples, through the bridge where they end up on Bardo at some point. Callie is determined to keep the Flame safe. She is the first Flamekeeper.

Back in the present, Clarke lies and says his daughter is inside the key. But she’s not willing to just hand it over, he killed her best friend and she orders for her other friends to be brought in.

As requested, in come Octavia, Diyoza and Echo, who now look like Disciple soldiers. The final war is coming.

Soon enough they’ll find out she doesn’t have it in her head anymore so I don’t know how long she’ll be able to bluff her way along. And she only had it very briefly and didn’t retain that any of that knowledge as far as we know, but there is someone who is drawing memories that are not her own. Madi may actually be the key.

I really loved this episode! I’ve always loved the history and mythology of this world so this was everything I could have hoped for! And I always love seeing more Becca! Callie is a great lead character, and I really liked the other characters too. I don’t feel like it took away from the season at all, this is information we needed to know going into the final episodes anyway. I do hope it gets picked up for series because I’d love to see more!

#the 100 #the 100 7x08 #anaconda #the 100 season 7 #the 100 recap #the 100 review #t100recap

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gyromitra-esculenta · 5 years ago

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A thing I’m definitely not writing that somehow clocks at 4.3k words. Tw*atter thread.

Returning to the small remote town he spent two years of his childhood in to get his father’s estate in order, Gabriel reconnects with his teen crush.

‘Top of the Lake’ inspired. If you’d seen the show, the content warnings would be half-a-page long, but then you know what to expect. Warnings otherwise: substance abuse, referenced domestic violence of several kinds, child neglect, and a lot of past events that are not explicitely said but alluded to.

There’s also a missing transition scene.

The only reason he doesn't slam the brakes the moment he hears the question is the fact he hasn't been paying too much attention to both the road - empty as usual - and the kid.

"What?"

"You want to fuck him, don't you?" Angel repeats, his arms crossed in front of his chest, stubborn frown in its place, and glare fixed on the windshield.

"You asked Jack that, and that's why he was out after working his shift?"

The only answer Gabriel gets is a kick to the door.

"Listen, that's... That's the last thing I'd want to do." He glances at Angel, trying to come up with sufficient explanation for the whole thing, somehow. And failing at it. "It's not that. Things happened. I'm amazed he's even talking to me, at all. I fucked up, kid."

"He'd let you. Everybody knows he's a slut."

Gabriel decelerates and pulls up at the side of the road without a word. Only after he's able to let go of the wheel he turns to Angel.

"You shouldn't be spending time with John and the rest of family if that's what you take from it."

"But it's true." Angel still glares somewhere in front of him, defensive posture and all. It couldn't have been easy on the kid, either, growing up in this shithole of a town with all the bigotry and John's long shadow. This thought is the only thing keeping Gabriel calm.

"It isn't. And even if it were, there is nothing wrong with it." He sighs. "And the last person calling him anything at all should be John. Or any of his fucking progeny. Or you, for that matter." Gabriel pauses, waiting for a reaction of any kind as an excuse to drop the subjec. But Angel remains motionless, refusing to even give indication he's listening. "I know you're feeling you're untouchable and all, enjoying almost carefree life, and Jack had it going for him too, once. 'Morrison Princess', that's what everybody called him. Now, it's you."

"So?"

Gabriel had been a rebellious teenager once, and if they weren't parked on the side of the road and touching on things from fifteen years ago, he would maybe smirk knowingly at the obvious attempt to fish for the story while trying to appear disinterested. "Anyone ever tell you he threw Jack out to fend for himself after he refused to give you up? Yeah, didn't think so," he nods at the alarmed expression on Angel's face.

"People love to put the blame on the victims, makes them feel better about themselves."

The kid's just sitting there, nibbling on his lips, something Jack used to do when thinking hard about anything, a habit he apparently lost in his adulthood. Funny, how he managed to notice it, another thing gone in the years he wasn't there. He starts the engine back. If he had only waited three months before bailing out. The regret has a bitter taste to it even if there was no way he could have known. And with John being the religious hypocrite he was, an abortion had been out of the question. But he was not going to tell the kid that. At least, the old bastard turned out to be less of a racist asshole than he could be, but that probably had more to do with Francis, Angel's status, and John's need to be in control of everything in the town. Gabriel is thankful Angel's not in the mood for asking more questions. Especially, the kind of questions that make him revisit the past and think about all the different possibilities that never came to be - that maybe he could've been calling the kid his own even if he wasn't the biological father. But with everything that had been going on then

The rest of the drive takes too long - at the same time passes too fast, and just like that he's letting Angel out by the school.

"You should really apologize to Jack later."

No answer, only the side door slammed shut, but the momentary grimace on the kid's face tells him all. He hadn't intended to do it, so he took the talk to the heart after all, and doesn't feel unjustly called out on the bullshit he pulled. Now, Gabriel lets himself grip the steering wheel until his hands hurt, releasing it only when he stops at the station's parking.

"You're not looking too good." Ana, with a cup of coffee in her hand, does not bother to start the day with the pleasantries.

"Jack and Angel had an argument, bad one, I think."

"And you know that because...?"

"Because, you know, I'd been driving Angel to school for a month now."

"Because I like hearing that. What was it about?" Ana sours immediately when she sees him just shaking his head instead of answering. "Shit. The last time it happened, Jack totaled his car. On a dirt road. Drunk," she adds, sipping the coffee from the cup.

"Yes, thank you, Ana, I'm not going to worry, then." Gabriel throws the jacket on the chair. "So I'm not going to call the hospital and the morgue now."

"We would get to know first, if anyone finds him."

He's reaching for the work phone anyway. She had once mentioned off-hand the problems with alcohol Jack had, and Jack himself had been forthcoming with a lot of details about those fifteen years, but even with no alcohol involved his mind was running the possible scenarios of everything that could have happened. Animals, ravines, hunters, other drivers, the lake itself, anything really, all that without including the ill intent, and knowing Jack and his affinity for the woods, all the remote places it could happen where no-one else would venture into normally.

"Got you to agonize over something else, haven't I?"

"Again, thank you, but not..." Gabriel drops the receiver when his phone rings and he breathes a sigh of relief at the flashing name. Shows it briefly to Ana before picking up the call. "Where are you? Is everything okay?"

"Gabe, right? You're Gabe?" The voice on the other side is definitely not Jack. A woman, sounding slightly confused.

"Where did you get that phone?" On the other side of the room, Ana perks up.

"You must be Gabe, because that's the last call here?"

"Yes, I'm 'Gabe'. Where is Jack? Can you..." Gabriel closes his eyes when she starts speaking again.

"Oh, it's Lena, you know? We think someone should pick him up, and your number was first..."

"Pick him up from where?"

"So Zen found him on the beach, and we brought him here."

Zen. Zenyatta. While she hasn't answered any of his questions, and he's sure now she's high as a kite, Gabriel can put a face to the name, and the location. That's one place Jack's going to be safe at.

"You're at the commune?"

"Yes. Our little piece of paradise."

"I'll be there in a few. Stay there. Not an inch." He ends the call as soon as Lena starts to talk again, before she can add another word, and throws the jacket back on. "It's not going to be problem, is it?"

"No. Looks like a slow day. If not, I'll call the reserve."

"I'll leave the squad..."

"Take it." Ana leans back in the chair and puts her legs on the desk. "The service there's spotty, at least the radio should work. Try not to get too strict on you-know-what, they're making no trouble and spend a lot of money, so no harm."

"Yes. Because I'm going there to bust some pot-smokers, and not to pick one idiot up." Gabriel grabs the keys on the way out.

"Call me when you know what happened."

"Yes, mom." He almost hears the mandatory eye-roll at the nickname.

"Cheeky bastard."

(scene transition, or whatever goes here, waxing poetic about nature or something, internal monologue.)

Jack, still obviously drunk, looks at him, and immediately makes a displeased face. Would be funny if not for the bruise forming on his forehead, and the bandaged hand. Gabriel could dwell on the pang of hurt but since he's got a pretty good idea it has less to do with just him, and more with him being here and now, he sits down next to the mattress on the floor.

"Where's your car?"

"Ana sent you?" Jack articulates with the drunken kind of care.

"Not really." Gabriel looks at the phone in his palm. "Lena called me. She's baked."

"Half the people here are," Jack answers absentmindedly, and then covers his mouth with a sheepish look of someone who said too much.

"I noticed. What's with the hand?"

"Glass from the bottle. I think. It's just a cut."

"Mhm. A cut." Gabriel puts the phone on the blanket and reaches for the bandaged arm. The dressing looks professional and covers the whole forearm. He doesn't like the implication. "And the car?"

"The old pier. Where we went swimming in the summer." Jack chuckles, his eyes closing. "That summer. The only summer."

"Yeah, I remember. C'mon, you can sleep it off at the station." Gabriel nudges him lightly.

"I don't want to. Ana will have words."

"Yeah, she will have 'words'. Want to stay here then?"

"Don't you have work?" Jack picks at the sleeve of his uniform, and something about the assumption present in the question makes Gabriel almost smile.

"Off the hook about today. Do you need anything?"

"Something to drink?" Jack draws his brows together at the look Gabriel gives him. "Warm."

"Okay, I'll see what I can do." He gets back up, dislodging Jack's fingers from the fabric with caution. He had seen an elaborate kettle outside. "Just don't wander off anywhere."

"Won't."

The kettle itself proves more challenging than he had expected it to be, at least until Zenyatta comes to the table and operates it with ease.

"Samovar, courtesy of Zarya, officer Reyes." The monk hands him a cup full of bitter smelling tea. "I take it you are here for Jack?"

Gabriel nods, noting also another Asian man standing behind Zenyatta.

"Thank you for coming down the other day to give the statement about the altercation with the Morrisons."

The other man mutters something in foreign language, obviously non-flattering, and probably offensive.

"One does not choose the earthly bonds they are born into, what one chooses is what to do with them." A roundabout way of saying that there is no resentment towards Jack for whatever the rest of his family tries to do about the land.

"How bad was his hand?"

"I am, I do admit, adverse to physical harm. It is best to ask Hanzo." Zenyatta inclines his head to his companion.

"Shallow lacerations, many of them." Hanzo does not seem willing to continue, eyeing Gabriel suspiciously, and it does nothing to dispel his doubts.

"It would do good to remember Jack is a troubled soul," Zenyatta lightly touches his arm, "but so are you, officer Reyes. Now, if you excuse me, I have some matters to attend to."

He nods again and walks past him with Hanzo in tow. There is something out of place about the brunet, not just about his status, but rather his whole manner he carries himself with - the kind of predatory confidence - and if the circumstances were different, he would've been the first person Gabriel's gun would be aimed at. But that's something left to ponder for another day.

He returns to the re-purposed cargo container to find Jack curled on his side and sleeping. Definitely better for both of them for him to sleep off the alcohol because Gabriel isn't sure how much more he can take now. From the very first day this fucking town has been out to get him. For years, he only had to deal with the occasional nightmare every few months, until the first night he spent at the house, and for the sake of his own sanity he should get out of here. The sooner, the better. And that would mean leaving Jack behind - Jack, who had never been a part of the equation - in the place that tries its damnedest to kill anything good about it.

Gabriel drinks from the cup. The tea is as bitter as it smells, with a sour and earthy aftertaste. Everything has always been about that one summer, the one he was barely fifteen and fell in love for the first time, with the boy who knew all the secret places in the woods. By the looks of it, and all the failed relationships since then, he never fell out of it, either. But this was the thing, his own feelings were nothing but just that, his own. And Jack could do without any more complications in his life. The fact that he had let Gabriel back in as much as he did knowing he wouldn't stay...

"You're a real piece of work sometimes, you know?"

With no answer coming, and not expecting one anyway, he leans against the wall, thinking, or rather trying not to, to idle the time away.

Excited shouting interrupts the quiet, and for a brief moment Gabriel is presented with the image of Lena running topless towards the lake. One of the other women is fast on her heels, stripping on the way, the t-shirt thrown over her shoulder falling to the ground. Now, he cannot fathom how anyone, even high, would think the weather is warm enough to go for a swim, but that had never stopped him as a kid. Gabriel checks the time on his phone at the groan from the side. He must've napped without anyone bothering them for two hours to just pass.

Jack slowly pulls himself to a sitting position, bleary-eyed, probably still buzzed a bit, and with an obvious hangover setting in. He cradles his left hand to his stomach with a visible wince.

"I fucked up. Sorry." His eyes are focused in his lap.

"Happens to the best of us. Here, drink at least a bit." Gabriel hands him the cup with the remaining tea. "I'll go and get a hot one."

"No. It's good. I... could you just..." Jack inclines his head, and he's not sure at first what he means by that, or that maybe he's misunderstanding, the gesture itself reminiscent of the summer. Jack starts mumbling at his hesitation. "No. I mean, it's stupid..."

"Scoot over."

Some awkward shuffling later, he has Jack sitting between his legs, back to his chest, the blanket loosely draped around the both of them. The hint of late berries and autumn underbrush is still there even hidden under the detergent and shampoo, not only in his imagination. Jack sips the cold tea, seemingly perfectly comfortable with Gabriel's arm resting across his midriff.

"Could you not say anything to Angel?"

"The kid isn't that stupid. He's almost fifteen." Gabriel shrugs.

"We were plenty stupid at his age."

He snorts at that.

"Because we shared one hormonal brain cell between the two of us for the most of the time. If my kid ever tried half the shit we did, they would be grounded well past the age of eighteen."

"I don't think anyone else would try petting a sleeping black bear."

"In my defense, I thought it was dead."

"City boy." Jack tilts his head back. In his voice, it's an endearment, not an insult. "I don't know who had been more scared, you, or the bear."

"I'm betting on me. And don't change the subject. He will know."

"So what do I tell him?" Jack tenses, and the action is enough to put the distance between them, but Gabriel refuses to let go of him. "That I got piss drunk and probably almost killed myself? Not that he's going to..."

"He's going to care. He cares."

"So what do I tell him?"

"You got drunk. You got hurt. That's all." Gabriel shrugs and puts his chin on Jack's shoulder. "What's important, he hears it from you, not from someone else. You think John wouldn't try to exploit that?"

"You know," Jack starts after a longer pause, "every time you talk about this stuff, I'm... why don't you have kids? Your own. You'd make a great dad."

"That's... The closest I got, she threw the ring at me, I told you." Gabriel chuckles.

"I thought you were joking."

"I'm over it, anyway." Something he might've realized just now. He takes a deep breath. "Listen, I've been thinking, when I get the estate in order..."

"You're going back to your normal life. I know."

"That too. But I've been thinking, and, come with me. You and Angel."

The silence stretches. Jack turns the cup around in his fingers without a word, almost contemplative, and Gabriel knows he had said something wrong.

"Just until you get your feet on the ground, no strings attached. Away from this fucking town."

"No strings attached, huh?"

He finds himself almost scrambling for some kind of explanation or reassurance, and coming up empty. Instead, with a weary sigh, he pulls up the other hand and brushes his fingers against the blond hair.

"I don't... I can't expect anything."

Jack stops fumbling with the cup but still remains silent.

"Just... just think it over. This place is no good for you, and it's not going to be better for him."

"It's my home," Jack finally answers, setting the cup aside.

"Bullshit. You don't believe it yourself."

"Okay. I'll think it over." There's a touch of irritation to his voice, and Gabriel is not going to push more, not right now. It's still uplifting, at the least because of the change from the earlier despondent mood. Angry is better.

"Good. Feeling up for a walk?"

"A walk?" Jack asks back, incredulous, still sharp.

"To bring around your car." If the old pier is the place he goes to drink, than Gabriel is not letting him go there alone even more than he would otherwise.

"Fine. Hope you don't mind getting your pants wet."

"I was thinking of cutting it short through the woods."

"It's been windy for the last week."

True. He had forgotten about the way the wind pushes the waves over the natural barricades, and the water in some places trickles into ditches and gullies carved by the spring's runoff. Or the often almost hidden under the forest detritus waterholes where the water seeps through the soil, or where the rain collects with no proper drainage. It all made for a dangerous combination any time of the year on its own and many local stories about missing kids. Gabriel had himself came home more than once smeared completely with muck stinking of decomposing plants and, sometimes, something much worse. Even now, he could very well believe there were some pits real skeletons dressed in remnants of fabrics lied sunken at the bottom.

"Not looking forward to that but I'll survive."

"Fine." Jack leans forward and disentangles himself from the blanket. Gabriel is loath to loosen his hold on him, and immediately misses the warmth and the smell. "Don't say later I didn't warn you," he adds, still snappy, standing.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Gabriel gets up. "Need anything? Jacket, anything else?"

"I'm good." Jack doesn't wait for him, stepping outside almost immediately - though, outside is a generous term with how the containers are set up and open to the brisk air coming from the lake.

He gestures something supposedly meaning they're going to be back to a lone person sitting by the table with the kettle, and hurries towards the treeline.

Gabriel follows with palms buried deep into the pockets of his jacket, silent, focused on the path before him. The grassland attached to the beach ends suddenly as if someone just cut away the edges and dumped a completely another world with no blending in-between. Two things become painfully obvious to Gabriel, the first being that even looking at Jack right now makes him feel the cold. The mostly uncovered ankles flashing under the hem of his pant legs look outrageous and fascinating at the same time - which is the other thing - because watching Jack's feet as they find their way through the undergrowth is as magical as he remembers it to be. There's no hesitation, no second-guessing, just another step: shorter, longer, to the side and back, with the ever-changing rhythm, and those slim ankles bending one way or another. Compared to this he feels graceless, dragging now a piece of a stick caught on the shoelace.

"How do they intend to last through the winter?"

Jack slows down for a moment and turns a bit to look back at him.

"They're having some prefab cabins delivered. Tried to get them built but no-one would commit to it."

"Can't be cheap."

"It isn't. Hanzo's paying for everything."

"What's his deal, anyway?" The man is so out of place in his surroundings it's jarring, and Gabriel had learned to trust his instincts when judging the potential danger. It's strange to hear Jack chuckle at his question.

"You wouldn't believe it. He's a real-life yakuza."

Sounds as far-fetched as it can be. Still...

"Money laundering?"

"I don't think so. I don't know the details, but his brother died in a car crash," Jack shrugs and turns around, walking backwards for a few steps, "and he'd been the one behind the wheel."

"So he's throwing money at something that's basically a religious sect, as atonement?"

"One way of looking at it, I guess, but it's a good place." Jack climbs a rotten log, jumping off it lightly immediately after. "The deed's in his name, too."

"So what bit John he's so interested in the land, any particular reason?" Gabriel walks around the log, not trusting himself to not slip on it - and not trusting it to not crumble under him.

"Honestly, I don't know. Francis liked that beach, it's as good reason as any other."

Francis. Another subject only skirted around at best. It's hard to imagine Francis and Jack having relationship that bad, and Gabriel decides to bite the bullet.

"How's he, anyway? Francis, I mean," he continues at the lack of the response.

"Overdose. Almost six years ago."

"Shit, I'm..." He's starting to apologize but Jack stops in place and turns, raising his palm.

"Don't. That's on me. You didn't know. John killed him, but I also did." Gabriel hears the resentment building up in his voice and steps closer.

"If it was..."

"Stop. Just stop."

"Jack."

"No," Jack cuts him off right away. "I told you my case got thrown out because John had money and influence? Well, he also had drugs, and Francis had been clean for half a year then, and he tried to help. He showed up to the hearing completely fucked up."

Whatever this one's going to be, Gabriel understands it can be only ridden out, with how contradictory emotions seem to clash in Jack's voice.

"I don't mean, just fucked up. Almost comatose. He tried to reach out but I was so, so angry. Told him to get shafted every time."

"And he stopped trying, and I didn't care at all. And then..." Gabriel closes the negligible distance between them and puts his arms around Jack's frame - feeling him tensing for a fraction of a second before almost falling into him with his forehead pressed into his shoulder. He doesn't even think there is anything he could say, and even if there is, he probably shouldn't because it wouldn't change the past despite the fact he would very much want it to do so. Another question, was there anyone Jack could ever talk to? Gabriel starts to doubt. He had Teresa and shrinks, and time to make peace with the reality certain things were never going away, but with how there was - is - this raw and untempered emotional quality in Jack surrounding some subjects that the mention of something adjacent opens the floodgates? It makes him afraid as he listens to the still heaving but slowing breaths next to his ear. Afraid because it's only happening as he's here, and when he leaves there won't be a person Jack would trust enough. He's only that - safe, here for a moment, and then gone.

"And the worst..." The mumble at first is barely recognizable and Gabriel tilts his head a bit to hear better. "The worst thing is that's the only way Angel's going to remember him. Not as someone who tried. A fucking junkie. Was a fucking rude wake up call."

Jack moves back with a muttered apology, again unexpectedly guarded, and the ceased physical contact is a new wall, at least for now. He wants to ask about the meaning of the last sentence but the message is clear, it's been more than Jack had intended to say. There's something there, something that's setting his alarms off, and he's too tired to count how many times today already. The day's a fucking rollercoaster, Gabriel decides following Jack. They're not talking anymore for the next stretch of the road. No matter his conscious decision, his thoughts keep wandering back with obsessive insistence, refusing to let go of the hidden message. Running circles around the subject until he can't remain silent.

"What did you mean by rude awakening?"

"It's nothing, don't..."

Gabriel notices Jack had stopped in his tracks only when he walks into his outstretched hand, and pauses looking for the reason, probably some animal - until his eyes follow down below them where in the dip in the forest floor is one of the waterholes, visibly disturbed. She lies there, half-submerged, smeared with the streaks of mud, and with fallen leaves stuck to her clothes. Her blouse, partially torn open, shows a bit of the white bra. Bruises in the shape of clenched hands starkly color her neck.

Not she. A body. It's easier this way.

"Shit." Gabriel reaches for his phone to check the coverage but almost drops it when he hears Jack, the words turning his blood to ice.

"I knew her. She's the fourth one.

#sometimes I write #r76 #reaper76 #substance abuse #child neglect #domestic abuse #i also still love gabe fixating on jack's ankles #samovars are simultaneously the best and the worst invention #john is the first oc i hate with my whole soul #angel is just confused

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crazyrandomfucker · 5 years ago

Text

Dreams and melodies of another time(line)

Summary:

It all started a couple of weeks after the fight against Miraculous Queen. It begun with a dream of hers and a song linering on Chat's head each time he was on his suit. Why now? Why this? Who can help? Are they the only ones? Well, just like Alice, you need to follow a rabbit to the Wonderland.

Notes:

Ok so, once again, after seeing a bunch of fics of Chat Blanc consequences and a bit of inspiration I decided to write this fic. I have no idea if it will become a long fic with a lot of chapters or a one-shot fic. I hope you enjoy it! ^-^ P.D.: In the end I let myself focus in writing and not on what I was writing, sorry if the story shifts ona weird way or there is something you find strange with my writing. P.D.:P.D.: WHY CAN'T I WRITE LIKE A NORMAL PERSON UGHHHHH

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It all had started a couple of weeks after Ladybug and Chat Noir had won once again against Hawk Moth with his latest akuma: Miracle Queen. It had been a difficult fight where both heroes had to hold onto two different miraculous at once to win. Despite winning, the loses were also great. Their superhero partners were forced to reveal their identities and could no longer use the miraculous without being compromised, Chloe had betrayed their trust and fell in a comma a day after pulling the stunt of wielding all the miraculous at once and, even worse, they had lost their only support and mentor, Master Fu, who renounced his duty as the guardian of the miraculous and passed into Ladybug. His memories were erased, Ladybug had even more responsibility now and she refused Chat's idea of revealing identities to help her guard the miraculous box.

At least Marinette had had two weeks to adapt to her new role as guardian of the miraculous and the miraculous box turned back to its usual form when she detransformed. She had made a crafty box with safe lock disguised as a sewing box. Tikki had taught her all of the guardians’ history, rules and duties Fu hadn't explained yet and cheered Mari through the whole process, helping her dealing with the loss. Occasionally, when Mari was sure that Chat wouldn't pay her a visit, she would open the miraculous box and let a kwami free for some time so they weren't bored inside the box and the kwamis helped her giving advices or helping Tikki explain something.

Everything seemed fine once again and Marinette and Adrien had this unnerving feeling that something was going to blow or go wrong. Even Hawkie had managed to stay silent for two whole weeks, which definitely wasn't a good sign. And then it came, unannounced, creeping like a cold-blooded reptile, attacking at night like a predator to its prey.

For Marinette, it was a dream of her, first dating Adrien, then it changes to her breaking with Adrien and finally her dating Chat before everything turned white. She woke up, sweating and with a feeling that those pale blue eyes stared at her from somewhere she couldn't see. She talked about that with Tikki, but it was just a nightmare, right? She had had tons of those after losing Chat in Timebreaker's fight. It would be gone due time like that, right? She couldn't sleep well and it began to show in her daily life.

For Adrien, it started during one of his nightly escapades as Chat, as a tune that popped in his head and he couldn't help but to hum. When he stopped in a rooftop, the tune brought some lyrics he couldn't help but sing. It said something about a cat sitting on a rooftop, which was ironic in retrospective, but he couldn't help it. Then he began to have this lingering sensation that he was missing something, as if something had been stripped out of him. He returned to his home and detransform, sitting to think about it. The song was gone, but that hindering feeling was not and for once, Plagg was silent. He didn't tease Adrien or demand his usual portion of cheese, but he also didn't reply to Adrien's questions and he did a hurt face each time he looked at the beret.

Things were also weird at school for both. Lila was in a bad mood each time Adrien or Marinette were in her range of sight, almost making her slip. Alya and Nino were strangely stubborn affirming that Adrien and Mari were dating secretly and that made both of them pinch as if something had hurt them. Marinette's obsession with Adrien had worsened and Adrien couldn't help but to wander around Marinette for some reason. Everyone in their class openly discussed daily how cute would Adrien and Marinette be if they were a couple. Some weeks ago, Mari would be in heaven for most of that, but now she was unexplainably hurt, as if she was losing something but didn't know what.

Then Adrien began to dream too. Dreaming about him being with Mari, both as Adrien and as Chat Noir. Those were nice and made him happy, but he felt at loss when he woke up. There were also those that gave him chills and made him wake up in cold sweat. Those were about him, alone, in a destroyed and sunken version of Paris. He wore a white version of his suit and his eyes were icy blue. Sometimes he fought with Ladybug and he felt disheartened each time. But what scared him the most were those where he was sitting alone in the roof of a skyscraper, singing that exact same song he couldn't get out of his head when he was Chat.

For their kwamis wasn't easy as well. Plagg felt a huge amount of pain, despair and sadness each time Adrien transformed or he saw that damned beret or Marinette. He knew something was wrong, very wrong, as if someone had been playing with the fabrics of reality he used to play with when he was a young kwami, but he didn't know what it was. Tikki would feel very sad in the most unexpected situations and her little chest hurt each time she wasn't with Plagg, so they would visit each other an awful lot while their holders where at school. They would chat a bit, but they would mostly bask in the other's presence before having to part ways once more.

But all that was only the first week. In the second, more people became involved. Gabriel Agreste wouldn't get to rest for just one night being haunted by nightmares of a white cat killing him over and over. Nathalie would also get nightmares of she being killed by a white explosion, Hawk Moth beating her, stealing her miraculous and firing her. But then, each time she saw Adrien or his friend Marinette, a word would slither into her mind and haunt her for the rest of the day, telling her unceasingly that she, was a traitor. Luka and Kagami grow a bit distant of Mari and Adrien, having dreamed a lot about the two of them dating and being genuinely happy. They hated those dreams, especially because deep down, they knew they would never be able to make them so happy and it hurt. Adrien’s latest behaviour and demeanour paired up with Marinette's nervousness didn't help Kagami and Luka's feelings as well.

In the second week, Adrien became restless and spent a lot of time patrolling Paris by himself, since he couldn't bear with those nightmares were he fought with her, so he would spent the nights bouncing from roof to roof, guarding Paris as he hummed non-stop that grim tune he was beginning to loathe. Meanwhile, Marinette also became restless, because of those dreams of her with Adrien and everyone's behaviour. She was trying so hard to turn over a new leaf and everyone encouraging her to be with Adrien, Luka being distant and those cursed dreams certainly didn't help her.

Then it was Alix turn. Since understanding she was going to be a kwami holder, she had begun to add a little white and blue rabbit on her graffities. She would sometimes draw things from weird dreams she gets from time to time. But she didn't expect the white cat. Or the white cat on an apocalyptic Paris. Or the white cat destroying the moon. Or killing a ladybug and a butterfly. She was scared of that little white cat. And then the real dream came. She saw Chat Noir being akumatized and turning Chat Blanc, she saw him, crying, trying to disobey Hawk Moth and accidentally killing everyone and destroying the moon in the process and she saw him, all alone, spending a whole month in a ruined empty city that began to flood. It was disheartening and she couldn't help but pitying Chat Noir. She wanted to help, sure, but what could she do? She didn't have a Miraculous and she certainly didn't have a way to contact Ladybug.

And the third week came and the kwamis couldn't bear with everything anymore. They knew that everybody was getting weird, that everybody was having dreams of something that never happened. They were getting more and more restless as the seconds passed, but they didn't know what to do. They wouldn't risk it and act unless something serious, really serious happened, because they had promised to never play again with their powers. But then, Kagami broke with Adrien and Luka broke with Marinette. Their holders were heartbroken, and they knew that they had to do something. Tikki couldn't act or do something straight forward, but she had a plan.

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The next time Ladybug and Chat Noir patrolled Paris, they both looked horrible and Parisian people couldn't help to pity them. Chat Noir was tense and hurt, while Ladybug was heartbroken and stiff. There was no banter, no flirting nor joking from both of them. Not even a single sound came out of their mouths. And then Plagg decided to act. He used the tiny bit of conscience kwamis had while powering up their holders and infused Adrien's mind with a single thought. That hellish tune that even he was getting tired of. Chat immediately frowned and began to hum the melody, angry that it came out even when he was with his Lady and they weren't still on a rooftop.

And Ladybug slipped. She slipped and crashed into one of the thousand Agreste's billboards. Chat immediately went to help her and ask her what had happened, but he couldn't stop humming the tune and Ladybug became visibly discomforted and traumatized. When Chat approached to help her, she backed away and cover herself for an instant, before remembering that her Chaton wasn't akumatized nor he was trying to kill her. But it was already late, Chat was really hurt from that.

"M-My Lady?" said Chat hurt, but not stopping to hum that cursed tune.

"I- I'm sorry Chat" said her at the verge of tears. "I just- I just can bear it anymore".

"Wh-Whats wrong Ladybug?" asked Chat Noir, finally stopping to hum.

"There is- There's a lot or things wrong Chat. We... We need to talk" said Ladybug as she began to cry and it began to rain.

"Let's go somewhere else LB. I also need to talk with you" said Chat Noir.

They silently jumped from roof to roof, not bearing to look at one another, with a destination set on their minds. They arrived to Notre Damme and entered the cathedral, like they normally did when it was raining and none of them carried an umbrella. The priests where always considerate with them and let them stay inside, thanking them for saving the city each time they were around. This time, they sensed the tension between the heroes and offered them a peaceful spot to chat without worrying about someone listening to them.

"I-" began both heroes at unison.

"You first Chat" said Ladybug calmly.

"No. You were the one who wanted to talk My Lady" replied Chat.

"You also wanted to talk kitty" said Ladybug.

"But you said it first, so you talk first buggaboo” said Chat smugly and the mood lifted for a bit.

"I guess you are right on that one chaton" said Ladybug with a faint smile.

"Oh, I'm more than right and you know it LB" purred Chat, making both of them laugh for a bit, before getting back to the sad mood again.

"Chat, there is something I haven't told you... And I'm getting nightmares from it. Everyone around me is suddenly acting strange out of nowhere and I-" said Ladybug with tears running down her cheeks.

"Is it- Is it related to the melody I was humming before?" asked Chat, immediately regretting it when Ladybug suddenly stiffened.

She nodded. "Y-You were akumatized".

"I... What?" asked him, feeling as if everything was tearing apart.

"I-It's hard to explain, but a month ago I delivered a beret for someone and the Bunnix appeared, and she send me to the future and you where there, all alone and akumatized and I didn't know why and you knew my identityandhtenwefoughtandyoutriedtokillmeandandand-" said Ladybug breaking down.

Chat stood there, deciphering what Ladybug had just said and trying to process it all of it. The beret wasn't from Ladybug, she was just delivering it. And he somehow was akumatized in another future. More importantly, he was alone in that future, just like on his nightmares. Wait a minute, he knows her identity? Could it be that he was akumatized when she revealed her identity to him? That couldn't be, right? Wait a second, they fought and tried to kill her? That definitely wasn't normal. No akuma would ever want to kill them, at least, not before snatching the miraculous first. Unless...

"M-My Lady? D-Did I kill Hawk Moth? Did I- Did I killed you?" asked Chat with his voice faltering.

"I- I saw a reman-nent of m-me a-a-and Hawk Moth c-cataclysmed under the water. Paris wa-as de-destroy and f-fl-flooded. Y-You told me th-that our- That our love did that..." managed to say Ladybug.

"I- I think I'm also having nightmares about that... Was I- Was I a white cat with ice blue eyes?" asked Chat.

She opened like plates, confirming his suspicions, and slowly nodded. "I think- I think it's because I changed the timeline..." said Ladybug. "It happened to me before..."

Now it was Chat's turn to be surprised. "It had happened to you before? When?" asks the cat hero clearly worried.

"It was- It was after Timebreaker. I- I saw you die in my arms for two months..." said Ladybug, remembering the nightmares and crying once again.

"What?" asked Chat, getting more worried after every answer.

"You jumped in front of me and- And saved me from Timebreaker's power. You- You died in my arms before I went back on time and fixed everything" said Ladybug.

"I- I had no idea... I-I'm sorry for ever worrying you Ladybug" said Chat with watery eyes.

"Stupid chaton" says Ladybug trying to clear her eyes. "Why are you apologizing for now? I thought we had already settled that whenever you'll take a hit for me, I'll throw you across Paris"

"How could I forget; I think I've seen Paris from above so many times a flock of birds has taken me in as one of them" said Chat smiling a bit.

"Okay, we've got to fix this. Any ideas Chat?" asked Ladybug standing up and drying her tears from her face.

"How could this foolish alley cat have one My Lady? You're the one who makes the plans and the new guardian, aren't you?" said Chat standing up as well.

"I'll talk with the kwamis to see if anyone has an idea. Send yours as well, I bet he has a lot to catch up with Tikki" said Ladybug.

"Will do, but I'm not sure it will work. I've been asking him for weeks and he's been strange lately. Perhaps he does need to catch up with his buddies kwami" said Chat.

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Ladybug landed perfectly on her bed and called off her transformation, throwing herself to her bed from exhaustion. The patrol and the talk about the Chat Blanc incident had really taken a token on her. Nevertheless, she stood up and took out the miraculous box. She stared at it for a long time until a cough behind her get her back into reality. She turned around and found Tikki rolling her eyes and next to her was Chat Noir's kwami, Plagg, who was giving her a deadpanned stare.

"Please, whatever you do, don't begin to fantasise with that model boy or my holder, I'm a bit tired of teen hormones at home" said Plagg plainly.

"Plagg? What are you doing here?" asked the girl.

"You said you wanted to see me, so here am I" answered Plagg.

"I didn't mean right now, but that will certainly help me. Nice to see you again by the way" said Marinette politely.

"It's always nice to see you too Princess, even if it's through my holder's eyes" said Plagg bowing. "Or wait, now I should call you Master?"

"Don't be silly Plagg, I don't feel like a guardian and I'm too young to be a master. Would you like a bit of cheese? It's not camembert but I swear we should have a bit of brie".

"I have to admit it Princess, you're my favourite guardian. You're not as lame as the others, you're laxer and you know how to break the rules. I like you. But I'd still appreciate that cheese" said Plagg in an unexpectedly polite manner.

"Aww, thank you Plagg. I'll be back in a sec" said the girl and disappeared downstairs.

"You really get the good ones Sugar Cube" said Plagg.

"I told you not to call me that Stinky Socks. But I think you have a great holder now" said Tikki.

"If that kid knew how to use his head, he would be great ladybug material. Your holder on the other hand would make an excellent black cat" teased the black kwami.

"We both know you love this kitten, even if you refuse to admit it" teased back Tikki.

"Whatever" said Plagg facing away from Tikki to hide his embarrassment.

"I'm back" said Marinette bringing along a tray filled with food.

"I think that's too much food for two kwamis and a girl" said Plagg.

"Who said it was just for two kwamis and a girl?" said Marinette, opening the miraculous box and putting on all of the miraculous. She sat immediately after doing that. "Ugh, this is so tiring".

"I retire what I said before Tikki. This holder of yours is way too crazy, she's fit for the monkey kwami" said Plagg.

"Don't be rude to my holder Plagg" warned Tikki.

"Good afternoon Master, kwamis of Creation and Destruction" said Sass.

"It's an honour to see you again Master" said Pollen bowing, but a bunch of kwamis zoomed along her.

"Master! Master! We're so happy that you summoned us all, we were getting bored. But you're the only one who has freed us from time to time, you're the best guardian we've ever had!" said some of the kwamis.

"Aww, you guys are so adorable" said Marinette snuggling the kwamis happily. "But today I called you here for a reason and not just to play. Well, we'll play a bit, but later".

"What do you need Master? We'll help you gladly!" said the kwamis.

"I'm amazed Princess, you have them all on your side and that's weird for a human" pointed Plagg.

"I thought you were also on my side Plagg" said her faking being hurt. "After all this time and cheese, we've shared".

"Oh, shut it Princess, you know you're my n°1 human girl and my n°2 girl and human, but don't tell Chat Noir I said this, he'll be insufferable if he knows".

"And we don't want him to get more annoying, don't worry" said Mari giggling.

"Even if it's lovely to talk about that, I believe we should focus on our little problem before you exhaust yourself like Chloe did" said Tikki interrupting the idle chat.

"You're right" said Marinette and turned to the kwamis. "I need your help with a pressing matter".

"What's happening?" asked Pollen worried.

"Is it the time ripples?" asked Fluff innocently.

"The what?" asked confused Marinette, Tikki and Plagg.

"The time ripples" repeated Fluff.

"Those are the residual memories and energy from timelines that had been erased or forcefully changed. Fluff and I can sense them" explained Sass.

"Right, because Fluff is the kwami of time and you're the kwami of repetition, you two are time-related kwamis" said Marinette.

"Yes. I'm sensing a time ripple now, like when you fought Timebreaker or Chat Blanc" said happily Fluff.

"Fluff, sweetheart, we fought him two months ago and we began to have this time ripples a month after defeating him. Is that something normal?" asked Tikki.

"Oh, that could be because my holder spent quite a lot of time preventing another Chat Blanc timeline. Master can be adorably clumsy, but we had a hard time dealing with all the timelines she provoked" said Fluff.

"I'm sorry for that" apologised Mari. "Wait. Bunnix! Can we ask her to help us?"

"It's rather unlikely Master. Fluff's powers aren't intended to work like that, even if Bunnix used it for fixing the timelines, their power it's meant to be used just for time traveling. Not even with my power, that it's meant to alter the timelines, we can fix the time ripples" explained Sass.

"But couldn't we ask Fluff's holder to give Master some advice about dealing with time ripples and their effects?" asked Wayzz.

"Great idea as always Shelly. But there is a tiny problem with it. She's from the future and Fluff can't precisely pinpoint from when we should call her" said Trixx smugly.

"It's okay, I'll think about it and find a solution. Thank you for your help guys" said Marinette. "Now, who wants to play?"

The kwamis played with Marinette happily, watched curiously her designs and latest projects and ate delightedly the food Marinette had prepared for them, minding which food to pick based on the favourite snack of each kwami. When Marinette was exhausted by the token of bearing sixteen miraculous, which was surprisingly a lot of time for a human, the kwamis returned to the miraculous box without waiting for Mari to ask them to, thanking her for letting them have fun like that. When only Tikki and Plagg were left, Tikki landed on Marinette’s head and Plagg flew in front of Marinette.

"Princess, you're really surprising and strong" complimented Plagg. "Beautiful as well, thought my kitten is smitten with you for another reason".

"I thought he decided to go after someone else" said Marinette.

"He did, or at least tried to. But his girlfriend broke with him recently. And you never left his mind" explained Plagg. "Both as Ladybug and Marinette. Really, even if he doesn't know it, he's head over heels for your civilian self. He can be really dense sometimes, but I hope you'll be able to forgive him for being stupid".

"Of course I can Plagg, he has already done plenty of stupid things to me. But he's my best friend and the best partner I could ask for. And you think so, don't try to deny it" teased Marinette.

"If only you knew Princess. All that bravado he has with the mask disappears outside of it. He's so boring and soft. He doesn't even rebels against his stupid father! And his father is an horrendous piece of sh-" complained the tiny god.

"Plagg! You're revealing a bit too much! And for the record, I think Chat Noir is honestly a very kind and adorable human. He wasn't wrong when he told you that you'd drool after seeing him without the mask. Even you have to admit that you like him a bit" said Tikki.

"I'm not only after pretty boys Tikki. That both Adrien and Luka were very handsome was just a coincidence. And we both know what happens if Chat and I love each other. We don't want another Chat Blanc" replied Marinette.

"Wait, let's ignore the whole Chat Blanc being caused by your mutual obvious love. She likes the model boy and the guitarist? I know you're high quality Princess, but you seem to aim high for a boyfriend as well. What's so special about the model even? The guitarist at least showed some guts, but the model one seemed to be quite a wimp" said Plagg.

"Watch it Plagg, or no more cheese for you when you come by" warned Marinette seriously. "That model you're talking about is the sweetest and kindest boy I know. He is very gentle and nice even with those who doesn't deserve it. He's much more than just a pretty face. He has protected me a lot of times against akumas without even having a miraculous and when he had the Snake miraculous, he repeated the same moment for a lot of time".

"I'll be sure to not disrespect him again, if you talk so well of him, he must be a great guy" said Plagg ignoring Tikki's death glare. "Before I go, anything I have to tell my kitten?"

"Tell him what we discussed and that I'll try to find something as soon as I can" said Marinette. "Also tell him that even akumatized and despite trying to fight me, he still was very gentle to me".

"Your wishes are orders Princess" said Plagg bowing and phase through the window.

Plagg flew across Paris, flying high enough to avoid being seen by humans, but not high enough to be seen against the dark blue starry sky. He was amused, it was clear that his kitten and Tikki's baby bug we're so in love, even if they didn't know it. Tonight had proven his suspicions and he was glad, Marinette would be perfect for his depressed kitten. Plus, she'd gain someone loyal who'd give her the unconditional love she deserves. Because she does deserve it, Plagg was more than sure of that. She had proven once and again that she was a capable Ladybug, despite her age, that she was a great guardian and, above all of that, she was the best human Plagg had met since Tikki created them. And with a happy shipping thought, Plagg phased through Adrien and landed on his head.

"Missed me already? Your baker friend saw me and feed me cheese on my way back, so I was educated and repaid her with an educated talk. She's really interesting you know. Such a pity that she won't be able to be Multi Mouse again" said Plagg and before he could react, Adrien hugged him.

"I was so worried Plagg. I was beginning to think that something had happened to you" said Adrien. "I'm glad you had your fun. Mari is such a great girl. Don't tell Nino, but she's my best friend without a doubt".

"She is a great human, I admit that. But I was thinking, do you like her? She is an amazing girl after all. Maybe she would be good for you" commented Plagg.

"You too Plagg? Why is everyone so pushy to make us a couple? She dislikes that clearly, she's stuttery and blushy around me again, even if she wasn't anymore" complained Adrien.

"I'm not pushing you lover boy. But don't try to fool me, I know perfectly what sort of dreams you're having and how happy you feel about the ones in which you date her" said Plagg.

"The dreams! What did Ladybug discover about them?" changed the topic Adrien not so discretely.

"They aren't dreams" said Plagg.

"What?" asked Adrien dumbfounded. "What do you mean they aren't dreams?"

"Exactly that. Those are your memories, as Ladybug suspected. The memories of the timeline in which you were akumatized. Which reminds me, your Lady said that you don't have to worry, you were gentle to her even akumatized" said Plagg.

"As sweet as always My Lady, but what do you mean those are memories?" asked Adrien.

"Fluff, the time kwami, said that they are time ripples, the residual memories of a timeline that has been erased or forcefully changed" explained the black kwami. "Which means that you dated Marinette and you were very happy. And just so you know, apparently she is also having this dreams".

"Wait, if the dreams are true and everyone is shipping us together... Is everybody having this time ripples? Wait. If Mari is being stuttery again, could it be that she doesn't likes at all the idea of us being together. She probably hates me again" said Adrien feeling down.

"Why do you have to be some dense sometimes" complained Plagg. "Look, kid, when I badmouthed you to see her opinion of you, she defended you quite fiercely. She has seen you, the real you, not just the perfect sunshine boy. And putting that aside, do you want to know what I've been doing all this time?"

"What are we going to do Tikki?" asked Marinette worried.

"I don't know Mari, it's been so long since I suffered something like this. The concept of time was barely new and the one provoking the time ripples was..." began Tikki. "That little..."

"Who?" asked Mari curiously.

"Plagg. That- That- Uggghhh. I bet he has something to do with all of this" said Tikki.

"How could he? Aren't we dealing with timelines?" asked Marinette.

"Marinette, without a holder to regulate our powers, our powers are absolute and supreme. Plagg can literally destroy concepts of reality that you study in physics. I created the universe in a fit of rage" explained Tikki.

"What? You're telling me everything in existence was created because you threw a tantrum? Wait, more importantly, we are regulating your powers?" asked Marinette.

"I was young and Plagg wouldn't stop destroying everything I did, but yes you regulate our powers, if not Chat would destroy Paris each time he used cataclysm" said Tikki.

"Couldn't we then ask Alix to use the bunny miraculous to locate her future version precisely?" asked Marinette.

"That's a great idea Marinette!" exclaimed Tikki. "You should talk to her tomorrow after school".

"I'm not sure how to explain it to her thought" said Marinette.

"Be simple, we need her help to go to the future and find her future self" said Tikki.

"Yeah, it will be better not to overthink it too much. Good night Tikki" said Marinette and turned off the lights.

"Good night Marinette" said Tikki.

-----------------------------------

"Hey Alix!" called Adrien when he saw the pink-haired skater.

"Huh? What's up sunshine? You want some real advice to date Mari? Wrong girl I'm afraid" teased Alix.

"What? No, I wasn't- I didn't-" said Adrien getting all flustered.

"Oh my god. You two are made for each other" said Alix.

"I was trying to ask you something else!" said Adrien utterly embarrassed.

"Oh. What happens Sunshine?" asked Alix.

"Have you had any type of unusual dreams lately? Like, someone dating or a white cat?" asked Adrien still blushing.

"Wait. How do you know that? I didn't tell that to anybody" said Alix surprised and worried.

"I was just checking. I'm having them and since they first appeared everybody acts differently and tries to make Marinette and me a couple, which by the way seems to make her quite uncomfortable" said Adrien looking down a bit.

"Okay, first thing blondie: Marinette is definitely not uncomfortable with the thought of dating you. Second: Who else is having these dreams?" asked Alix.

"As far as I know, you, me and our local heroes" said Adrien. Alix raised an eyebrow. "I happened to bump into Chat and I talked to him a bit".

"Bumping into other people? That's something really Marinett-ish you know Buttercup" teased Alix.

"Ugh! I'll keep asking to see who else has dreamed unusual stuff lately!" said Adrien hurrying to hide his flustered face.

"I'm so going to share this with the girls" said Alix smirking and turned around to bump into a half asleep Marinette.

"Oh, I'm sorry Alix, I was distracted. I've been having these weird dreams lately and I haven't been sleeping well. Have you had any weird dreams this past weeks?" asked Marinette not so discretely.

"Okay, first of all, you look like a zombie Mari. Second, I have and apparently Sunflower, Chat and LB have been having them as well. Your boyfriend just asked me a minute ago".

"My boyfriend? But I've broken up with Luka Alix" said Mari sheepishly. "Wait, you had the dreams too? What happened on them?"

"Well, I meant Adrien. As for the dreams, I saw you dating Adrien and a white cat destroying Paris and the moon. Why?" said Alix.

"Okay so, apparently, about two months ago or so Ladybug went to the future with a superhero from another future and she had to take down an akumatized Chat Noir. She defeated him, changed the timeline and now there is this weird time thingies that are affecting everyone involved with Ladybug or Chat in that other timeline. Apparently, I dated Chat after breaking with Adrien or something like that" said Marinette. "And since last month everyone has being acting weird and I've been having those dreams and like, yesterday Ladybug appeared on my balcony to ask me and I was so relieved because I thought I was going crazy or something like that and-"

"Wowowowow, breath girl, I'm not getting all of that" said Alix.

"Sorry, it's been hard lately since I'm barely sleeping a couple of hours" said Marinette.

"Don't worry. But let me get this straight. Anyone who interacted with Chat or Ladybug on that timeline is now getting these thingies of time? Why am I getting them though?" asked Alix.

"It's more like anyone who was significant in the development of that timeline is having dreams and people around them is getting influenced subconsciously by that. But you're getting them for another reason. Ladybug wanted to talk to you and ask you personally, but I offered to because it was faster for everyone. Your future self is apparently the future hero that helped Ladybug" said Marinette mentally praying not to be outed as Ladybug by something so stupid.

"Oh yeah, Bunnix rocks. I can wait to be like future me. You should have seen me Mari, I was so cool and badass" said Alix excited and proud.

"Alix, you already are cool and badass to me. Your skating abilities? I could never do anything like that" said Marinette. "Oh, before I forget it, Ladybug wants you to meet her on your rooftop by 5 or so. Imagine that you get to help her like your future self did. Will do. Does? Ughhh, all this time travelling is so confusing".

Alix laughed wholeheartedly and the bell rings. "Come on time-klutz, we need to get in class before Mme. Mendeleiev or we'll have to face her wrath" teased the skater girl.

--------------------------------

Ladybug landed on the designated rooftop, her mind filled with thoughts. After having asked the whole classroom, she discovered that the little lie she had told Alix about why people was getting the dreams wasn't so farfetched as she thought. Every single person on her class had had some sort of dream and even some other people she knew had as well. She discussed this with Fluff when she picked his miraculous to lend it to Alix and the joke was on her because it was indeed how the ripples worked more or less. She was a tad nervous about the whole issue but at least she had Alix and Chat, she had sent him a message via a private chatroom, supporting her.

Chat saw her landing at the distance. As always, his Lady was diligent and punctual, getting to the meeting point some time before their meeting. He was also nervous like Ladybug and wanted everything to go back to normal. So when he saw his Lady's call through their private chatroom on an old and almost forgotten platform, he instantly transformed and ran to Alix's rooftop. He supposed they would be giving Alix the time miraculous for a bit so she could help them with all of this time travelling problem. He landed and approached Ladybug, not daring to make a sound due to all his nervousness. She gestured him a salute and they both sat down, contemplating silently the blue sky.

Alix was excited, but a ball of dizziness remained on her throat. Sure, she was eager to become Bunnix and be the badass heroine her future self was, but she had a bit of doubt whether she would make it right or not. At least she knew Ladybug and Chat trusted her enough to give her a miraculous, even if it was just for a short time. Also, she couldn't forget about Mari's earlier support. Yeah, she could take on the world if Marinette say she could. So she opened the door to her rooftop and saw the heroes waiting for her.

"Hey" called Alix. "Am I late?"

"Hello Alix. Don't worry you aren't. I see that Marinette did remember to tell you" said Ladybug standing up.

"Huh? You asked Marinette to deliver a message? Why didn't you just visited Alix?" asked Chat confused.

"Well, I had to talk with Marinette, it was already late when we finished talking and also because I asked Mari to do something else too. Thanks to her, I now know that all of her classmates are having some sort of time ripples" said Ladybug.

"She remembered. She only seems to forget to sign anything she makes for-" said Alix, but Ladybug put her hand on Alix's mouth.

"Alix, I'm pretty sure Mari wouldn't appreciate a certain alley cat knowing about... That" said Ladybug.

"What? Now I want to know" said Chat.

"Didn't curiosity kill the cat?" teased Alix smirking.

"Purrhaps, but satisfaction brought it back" replied Chat Noir with a smirk.

"Maybe, but your Princess will have your neck and ours too if we let you know" said Ladybug, sending a chill down Chat's and Alix's spines.

"Wait, why do you know I call her Princess?" asked Chat confused.

"No, why do you call Mari Princess? You seem to know her well" pointed Alix.

"I happen to know her. After being her knight in shining leather a couple of times and having some heart to heart, she let me be her friend and I sometimes pass by her balcony" said Chat. "But why does My Lady know it?"

"You think Mari is just your friend? Besides, us girls like to gossip, specially about boys. Isn't that right Violet?" said Ladybug with a smug smile.

"No way, you know Secret Garden?" said Alix surprised yet amused.

"I loved Secret Garden" said Ladybug. "I almost told Marinette to include me, but it wouldn't be great if a hero helped in a plan to get Buttercup with Lotus".

"Lotus? Buttercup? Violet? Secret Garden?" asked Chat very confused. "I'm lost. Did Marinette plan to open a flower shop?"

"Silly kitty, we are using codenames so you don't understand us" teased the heroine.

"Yeah, Marinette is the sweetest person, but you really don't want to be on her bad side, not to mention angering her" agreed Alix. "Wow, Mari is so awesome. She attracts all of types of talented people like Jagged Stone or you guys".

"Also you Alix. You are also very talented skating and painting those incredible graffities. Don't think I missed that one you made of Chat and I near the library" said Ladybug.

"That was hers? Boy, I loved that graffiti of us! It was a great ego boost to see something so cool of us." said Chat amazed. "Also, let's not forget that time you helped us when we were affected by Reverser's powers or when we fought Timetagger".

"And that's why we're here now" concluded Ladybug with a smile so bright that almost blinded Chat and Alix. "Now, Alix Kubdel".

"Yes Ladybug?"

"I will grant you the miraculous of the rabbit and you must return it when your task is finished" said Ladybug opening the box and revealing the miraculous, allowing Fluff to flow out of the miraculous. "This is the miraculous of the rabbit, which gives its holder the power of time travelling, and this creature here is a kwami, the magical being that lends you its power through the miraculous".

"My name is Fluff. It will be nice to work with you in the future. Or was it tomorrows’ past?" said Fluff.

"Heya Fluff. Nice to see you too" says Alix petting Fluff. "Was the speech necessary thought? Not to be rude, but like, I already knew that".

"I know, sorry, it's the rules" apologised Ladybug.

"Well then, it can't be helped. So, what do I need to do?" said Alix. "Do I transform now?"

"I'm not sure. The power of the rabbit miraculous is pretty dangerous after all. Do you think she should train to adapt to it Fluff?" asked the heroine.

"There is no way fixed to train it Master. Only with experience can will be learned" said Fluff.

"Uh... Am I the only one that doesn't understand this kwami's speech?" asked Chat Noir.

"Nope, I don't get it too" said Alix shrugging.

"Fluff can be a bit confusing sometimes, but they are a great kwami for sure" said Ladybug. "Anyway, Alix, transform and let's try to use your power, don't worry about making a mistake".

"Sure thing LB. Fluff, clockwise!" chanted Alix and her transformation begun.

"Uh... Isn't her suit different from future Bunnix?" asked Ladybug.

"I think so My Lady. At least, I don't remember that Bunnix had a vest or a cap or... Are those skating protections?" pointed Chat Noir.

"Could it be because it's my first time?" said Bunnix.

"Hm... Oh, I remember Tikki, my kwami, telling me that our suits are made unconsciously by our deepest thoughts, so maybe they can change?" tried Ladybug.

"It makes sense to me" accepted Chat Noir.

"Well then, now I only have to use my superpower to... What do I have to do?" asked Bunnix.

"Well, we need you to find your future self, but we don't know from when she is. At least we think that you can open a Burrow and there should be a lot of exits to different points of time. It's what I saw future Bunnix doing" said Ladybug.

"I can do that!" said Bunnix eagerly. "Burrow!"

"Now what My Lady?" asked Chat Noir. "We jump inside?"

"No, Bunnix has to jump inside holding us, or else we'll be lost in time" said Ladybug.

"Then let's go!" said Bunnix grabbing the other heroes and jumping into her burrow.

The inside was unlike Ladybug remembered. It was all white and only had a single hole, the one they had entered from. Ladybug was perplexed, why wasn’t the burrow like she remembered? Could it be that she had messed up or something? What if it was like that because she and Chat were there at the same time? No, it couldn't be that. There had to be a reason why this was happening. And then she remembered the kwami guide they had on their weapons.

"Bunnix! Look at your umbrella, you should have a little screen or something and there should be a manual in there" said Ladybug.

"A screen? On an umbrella? What are you- WOAH!" said Bunnix as she pulled the bottom of her umbrella and revealed a screen. "Impressive".

"No time for wondering Lola Bunny, you'll detransform in 5 minutes and we'll be on a huge problem if we're in here" said Chat hurrying her.

"Sheesh, I'm doing it Tom, no need of any nickname" said Bunnix searching through the screen. "Here it is! Uh... Aha... Oh, apparently, I'll collect those holes Ladybug talked about for each time I travel through another time and open a burrow. Oh, but for now I can simply go to whenever I want".

"And can you leave a message to other time-travellers?" asked Ladybug.

"Uhhh... Yes! I can. But it will take form of a riddle and will appear on an exact date and moment" said Bunnix.

"Like that one your future self-sent us" said Chat.

"Okay, then send a message to yourself in... Say, 12 years from now telling to come" said Ladybug.

"I'm on it Ladybug" said Bunnix. "Done. Now, how about we exit this before I detransform, because I've lost the count of how many times has beeped my miraculous".

"Let's get back for now" said Ladybug. "Hopefully, your future self will come in no time".

Bunnix picked up the heroes on her shoulders and jumped out of the burrow. They landed gently on the roof and then Bunnix put them on the ground to let them stand, awed by the strength the miraculous gave her. She was so enthusiastic about it that she was jumping without even noticing, which caused a huge laugh from Chat Noir and a smirky smile from Ladybug who found it adorable and amusing at the same time. Bunnix stopped and looked at them confused at first, but she realised what had happened and blushed almost instantly.

"Aw, don't worry Lopunny, it's normal to be so excited the first time you use a miraculous. My Lady literally fell for me on her first day" said Chat Noir with a huge dorky grin.

"Firstly, I fell on you, not for you. And secondly, why did you had to tell her that! I'm so embarrassed" said Ladybug turning red as her suit.

"No way, Ladybug fell on you?" said Bunnix. "The gracious and agile Ladybug? Our Miraculous Ladybug?"

"The one and only. Apparently, she’s quite clumsy outside of th- Hey! My Lady?! My Lady put me down! What are you- Oh no! Buggaboo please n-" pleaded Chat Noir as Ladybug threw him across Paris once again.

"That's for teasing me so much! Stupid alley cat!" shouted Ladybug and turned to Bunnix with a dead serious face and a blush that rivalled with Marinette's in Bunnix opinion. "You have seen or heard nothing, got it?"

"Pfffft. Sure thing clumsybug" teased Alix and instantly got a soft punch from Ladybug on her shoulder. "Okay, okay. I won't tell a soul LB, I don't want an aerial tour of Paris like Chat".

"Good" said Ladybug trying to look serious and composed, but still bright red as her hero suit.

"Can I ask you something Ladybug?" asked Bunnix trying to change the topic.

"Yeah, sure thing" said Ladybug visually relaxing.

"How did you befriend Marinette? Don't get me wrong, she's great and I know that, but she has this huge despise towards your other friend Lila Rossi" said Bunnix and instantly regretted it when she saw Ladybug tense.

"Lila? Lila Rossi isn't my friend and she has never been. First, she lied about me rescuing her and saying we're besties, then she tried to lie to that model boy saying she was a hero as well, a hero that would beat me easily with her eyes closed. Do you see a patron yet? Because then she was akumatized, we deakumatized her and declared openly her hate towards me. She abused of her lies to make Marinette look like a villain. Marinette almost was akumatized, but she didn't let herself get akumatized. Meanwhile, your so good Lila saw the akuma and use it to become once again a villain. And let's not forget how she actively tried to help an akuma to defeat us. She is nothing but a liar and a villain. And Marinette has evaded being akumatized not once, but twice. Now tell me, which one is a good friend?" said Ladybug with a faint note of anger on her voice.

"Marinette was almost akumatized twice?" said Chat Noir getting on the roof, a bit surprised and devastated by the information.

"She- She has been lying all this time?" said Bunnix shocked. "That lying-"

"Stop that both of you, you wouldn't want to be akumatized again, would you?" said someone behind them. They turn and see Bunnix, future Bunnix, standing there with a worried look on her face. "Mini-bug is telling the truth. But Lila is not a liar. She's a villain, a true villain".

"Bunnix?" said the young heroes at once, surprised.

"The one and only. I came when I got the message, what's the matter Mini-bug?" said adult Bunnix.

"We need help to deal with the time ripples I caused when fixing Chat Blanc" said Ladybug.

"Actually, I caused the time ripples after changing too many times the timeline, Fluff already told you" pointed the older rabbit. "To be precise, Plagg caused them when he destroyed the possibility of Chat Blanc, but I asked him to do so".

"Plagg did what?" asked Chat Noir surprised.

"He is destruction itself; he destroyed any possibilities for Chat Blanc happening in any future. Though, mini-me will have to deal with it when the time comes, but she will have forgotten about it after spending so many years trapped in a rock thanks to a certain cat" said adult Bunnix. "I did forget that you originally gave me the miraculous now, but after this you won't need Bunnix for a few years".

"Shame, I planned to fill that blank space with a lot of holes" said young Bunnix as she detransformed into Alix.

"Don't worry mini me, I remember this now, so here, a carrot for Fluff" said Bunnix giving Alix a carrot. "Let them eat and transform back. Meanwhile Mini-bug, use your Lucky Charm. And Kitty Noir has to use Cataclysm on it, but you have to call for your Cataclysm before Ladybug uses her Lucky Charm. This way we'll fix the time ripples".

Chat Noir nodded and called upon his Cataclysm and looked to Ladybug. She used her Luck Charm and an umbrella fell on her hands, but instead of a red with spots item, it was a black umbrella. Both heroes recognised perfectly the umbrella and were a bit shocked at first, but the black umbrella began to turn white. Bunnix rushed Chat Noir towards Ladybug and he cataclysmed the umbrella before it turned completely white. Ladybug and Chat Noir stood there for a solid minute without saying a thing, staring at the ashes of the umbrella.

"I'm done" said the younger Bunnix. "What now old me?"

"Oh, now we go into my burrow" said as she grabbed everyone and jumped into a burrow.

"Now this is real time travelling" said young Bunnix amazed with the hole filled burrow she was in.

"Even better, your burrow will look like this next time you use it" said proudly the older Bunnix.

"No way. This is so cool!" said the younger one amazed. "What do we do now?"

"Now? Now we let the idiots in love detransform" said Bunnix as all the holes in the burrow closed.

"What! Bunnix let us out now! This is serious! We can't know each other’s secret identity as long as Hawk Moth has his miraculous!" said desperately Ladybug.

"Do you want to fix the time ripples or not? Because this is the way to do it" said Bunnix firmly.

"How can revealing our identities fix this time mess?" asked Chat Noir equally desperate as Ladybug.

"It will fix more than this time mess as you call it Kitty Noir. First, it will fix your relationships as heroes and civilians. Second, it will fix Marinette's problems with Liela. Thirdly, when you two reveal yourselves and realize how big of an idiot each of you are, there will be a soul bond between you two. When a soul bond between destruction and creation happens, there will be a flash of light that works on the same way the miraculous cure works, but since we are trapped intime, it will only fix any time problems" explained the older Bunnix.

"Then why am I here? Is it okay for me to know who they are?" said teen Bunnix.

"You need to know as well. You will play an important role to help Marinette's problems with that lying fox wannabe. Also, without your help, an akumatized Ladybug will destroy Paris and everything" said Bunnix.

"I'll be akumatized?" asked Ladybug shocked.

"I can’t tell you that Mini-bug, but I can assure you that Lady Akuma will be an akuma far worse than Chat Blanc. Be prepared Kitty Noir" said Bunnix with a tenebrous tone.

Everyone remained silent. Adult Bunnix was simply standing there, not moving at all. Teen Bunnix on the contrary was moving a lot, walking from one point to another while thinking what she could possibly do. Chat Noir was lying on the floor, lost in his thoughts about future Bunnix words and her warning, which made his skin crawl a bit. Why had he been prepared for an akuma named Lady Akuma? Meanwhile Ladybug was panicking mentally. Her secret would be discovered, she would become akumatized and create the worst akuma ever. What did everything had to go so wrong? And then, Chat's ring beeped for the last time and a green light covered him. Ladybug involuntarily closed her eyes. Bunnix did not.

"You are Chat Noir?!" screamed the younger Bunnix with a mix of surprise and disbelief.

"Uh... Hello again Alix?" said civilian Chat Noir as he fed his whiny kwami.

"Ladybug, open your eyes" said adult Bunnix.

Ladybug obeyed and saw... "Adrien Agreste?! You're mon chaton?!"

"The one and only" said Adrien bowing.

"I can't believe it. NO. Bunnix let me go, he can't see me detransformed!" Begged Ladybug panicking extremely. "Alix Kubdel you better let me go right now!"

"Won't do Mini-bug. You have to stay, even if you want to die out of embarrassment" said older Bunnix grinning. "Or is it that you can't face Buttercups? What a shame Lotus".

"No way! No! It can't be! You're Ma- I mean, Lotus?!" exclaimed surprised young Bunnix and began to laugh when she saw Ladybug's blush.

"What is going on?!" asked confused Adrien.

"Girls. Girls are going on. That's why I prefer my delicious Camembert" said Plagg deadpanned.

"I want to die" said Ladybug covering her face with her hands curled on the floor.

"Oh come on Buggaboo, Kitty Noir will be delighted to know you're lotus, he thinks so greatly of you already" teased the older Bunnix.

"Yeah, doesn't Buttercups already consider you part of nobility?" said teen Bunnix.

"But I can't face him! I've had this huge fat crush on him for so much time and now he ends up being my partner? The same I've been rejecting all this time? COME ON! WHAT'S NEXT?! IS MY MOTHER HAWK MOTH?!" screamed Ladybug forgetting that Adrien was still with them.

"You like me? I've been rejected all this time for me?" asked Adrien first sheepishly, but he soon began to laugh.

"AND NOW HE KNOWS!! Kill me already please" whined Ladybug.

"Are you sure we can't spare her adult me?" asked teen Bunnix pitying Ladybug.

"I also feel sorry for her, but it's just for a few minutes until they start being so gross" said adult Bunnix smirking.

"Uh... Can I know what's happening? This cat is purrty confused right now" said Adrien.

"Oh don't you purrty me Agreste! I refuse to hear your horrible puns in class too!" jumped Ladybug as her earrings beeped and she detransformed. She quickly covers herself, but it was too late.

"Marinette?" asked Adrien confused. "Purrincess is that you?"

"Marinette? Who is Marinette? I-I don't know what a Marinette is" said Marinette smoothly.

"Oh come on Lotus, Buttercups has seen you already" said Alix as she detransformed to face them seriously. "Though I wish Tiger Lily was here to film all of this, we'd have fun for months".

"Alix Kubdel! IF YOU DARE SAY A SINGLE WORD TO ALYA I'LL SKIN YOU ALIVE PERSONALLY!" said Marinette in an outburst, not thinking rationally, turning herself to face Alix but meeting Adrien.

"Hello again M'Lady. Or should I say Princess?" said Adrien trying to smile gently despite his utter confusion and embarrassment. He had so many emotions swirling inside of him that he was surprised that he was acting so... calm. Thought he is surprised when a light blinds all of them, said light coming from him and Marinette and expanding through the Burrow.

"I told you that you loved bakery girl, but did anyone hear me? Of course not" complained Plagg.

"Oh shush Stinky Socks, you're ruining the mood! Please, proceed with your talk" said Tikki.

"Why is Ladybug's kwami so cute, yet so scary?" asked Alix.

"She's the most fearsome kwami of al I've met. I have nothing but respect towards her. Even Plagg fears her" said Bunnix.

"Can we get a bit of privacy?" asked Adrien and Marinette at unison while blushing crazily, which only worsened when they processed their newly found synchronization.

"I'm afraid not, unless you want to be lost in time that is" said Bunnix. "Come on lovebirds, stop being like that and confess already or I'll confess for you both and just so you know, I'm very acquainted with your darkest deepest secrets, so you definitely don't want me spilling things like a phone theft or a huge dakimakura".

Both teenagers straightened by the fear caused by the sole thought of the other one knowing their most embarrassing stuff. "Okay..."

"Marinette?" asked Adrien nervously.

"Y-Y-Yes?"

"Shall I start?" asked the boy even more nervously.

"That's it, I'm done" said Bunnix.

"I like you Adrien! I've liked you since you gave me that umbrella!" confessed Marinette scared by Bunnix's threat to her social image.

"What?" said Adrien.

"You heard her Buttercups. She likes you so much, she can't talk straight to you without messing up her speech or stammering like an MP5" said Alix.

"And she does really like you. Ask her why did your father let you return to school after the Volpina and Collector incident" said Bunnix.

"Marinette? Did you convince somehow father to let me go back to school?" asked Adrien hesitantly.

And then it came. Marinette explained everything. How she felt, how she had tailored after Lila and Adrien once and discovered the book of the miraculous, about her fear, her love, everything since the very beginning, when they got their miraculous. There were a few laughs at some points, mainly due to something Marinette had messed up with; but there were also tears and Alix even hugged Marinette until she almost asphyxiated her. Then it was Adrien's turn to talk. He talked about his family problems, about his huge cold empty home and how alive he felt when he was Chat. He also confessed his feelings to Marinette, about him still not being 100% over Ladybug, but also about his recently found feelings of Marinette. At the end, Alix was very shaken by all of the things she had just learnt and simply pulled the two idiots into a hug.

"Come on Mini-me, let's give these dorks a bit of time to think" said Bunnix as she opened her Burrow again and pushed each teenager on their bedroom.

----------------------------------------

"Tikki" said Marinette with a wavering voice.

"Yes Marinette?" asked Tikki.

"Am I dreaming again? Adrien is not Chat and I didn't embarrass myself in front of him, right?" asked Marinette.

"I'm sure you didn't embarrass yourself, Adrien really liked the fact that-" said Tikki, but she was interrupted by a knock on the window.

"Oh no! Chat's here! And Chat is Adrien! Adrien is here! On my room! My posters of him are all over the room! He's going to freak out and he'll hate meandI'llbeleftwithoutapartnerandHawkMothwillslaughterParisanditwillallhavebeenmyfaultand-" said Marinette until Tikki headbutted her.

"Marinette! Calm down, open that window, let that cat in and talk with him. He won't be creeped by you, I'm sure of it" said Tikki calming her holder.

Marinette breathed, nodded and opened her windows. "Hello?"

"Hey Mini Bug, you forgot the miraculous" said Bunnix.

"I bet she was lost on her mind" teased Alix. "Thought I won't mind keeping the miraculous if you want".

"Oh, Alix, Bunnix. It's just you" sighed Marinette relieved.

"Were you waiting for someone else Lotus?" teased Alix winking.

"I hate you so much now" said Marinette blushing. "Come on, give the miraculous and let me be paranoid by myself".

"Just so you know Mini-bug, everything will be alright before you can say Spots On" said Bunnix. "To begin with, the time ripples are fixed".

"Yeah, you'll be able to sleep finally girl, you definitely need it" pointed Alix.

"Gee, I love you too Alix. No need to have some tact or anything alike" said Marinette sarcastically.

"Even restless, Princess is a delightful sight for an alley cat like me" said Chat poking his head through the windows.

"Aahh!!!!" screamed Marinette from the bottom of her lungs as she picked a pillow and threw it to Chat Noir, almost knocking him off.

"Make sure to never be on the receiving end of anything Marinette throws Mini-me" said Bunnix. "I once saw her knock Chat and Carapace of a roof, without even being transformed".

"You could have warned me!" exclaims Chat Noir. "Why do you treat me like this after I compliment you Buggaboo?"

"I panicked" said Marinette sheepishly shrugging her shoulders.

"You did deserve that one for eavesdropping us" declared Alix.

"I can't argue about that, even if it wasn't intentional" admitted the feline hero. "Can I get inside before someone spots me here?"

"Y-You can enter I guess" said Marinette trying to appear uninterested and calm.

"And we'll leave" said Bunnix, giving the miraculous to Marinette. "Come on Teennix, I'll burrow-drop you an hour ago".

"See you at school guys" said Alix preparing to leave but turns to Marinette. "And Marinette, I'm sorry for being a jerk about you and Lila. We show her who is the boss?"

"Count me in" said Marinette smiling. She bid goodbye and the pink haired girls disappeared through a Burrow.

"I'm sorry for telling you to leave Lila alone because she wasn't hurting anyone. And for not noticing that she was hurting you" said Chat Noir.

"Don't worry, I know you always see the positive side in each possibility. It's one of the things I like about you" said Marinette calmly.

"Marinette?" said Chat Noir.

"Yes Kitty?" asked Marinette.

"I know we have some- Well, a lot of stuff to process and everything but..." said Chat nervously as he played with his fingers.

"But what? What happens Minou?" asked Marinette a bit worried.

"If you'd like, could we... Could we, you know, go on a date or something? After everything, of course. And only if you want to" said Chat blushing.

"Chat, detransform" ordered Marinette and the cat obeyed.

"My Lady? Princess?" asked Chat worried.

"I would love to, you big dork" said Marinette as she pulled Adrien into a hug, giving him a peck on his cheek.

"You know, I think this is the best bug you've ever had. She's bold, she feeds me and she can shut my kitten with a single peck" said Plagg to Tikki.

"Admit it, you also like my bug because she's good for your so smitten kitten" said Tikki smirking.

"You will never hear me admit that" said Plagg stubbornly. Meanwhile, the teenagers were both dying inside from embarrassment.

"Plagg, please, shut up" managed to say a very flustered Adrien.

"I-I'll go for s-so-some snacks" said Marinette blushing considerably as she headed towards the stairs and disappeared.

"Hello again, Adrien. I'm not sure if you remember me from Reflekta's and Reflekdoll's fight but I'm Marinette's kwami" said Tikki politely, allowing Adrien to calm down.

"Hello Tikki. I do remember you, it's nice to meet you again" replied politely Adrien. "I admit you are a lot less grumpy than Plagg and a lot nicer".

"Watch kid, because that less grumpy nicer kwami can and will obliterate you if you dare anger her" warned Plagg and instantly got hit by Tikki.

"Now, now, Plagg. Don't scare Adrien like that. I'm not that bad" said Tikki smiling with her eyes closed, giving more and more a feeling of danger. "Thought Adrien, sweetheart, I'll say this once. Keep Marinette happy. Okey?" said as Adrien felt a shiver go down his spine.

"Roger that" said Adrien a bit nervous and afraid for his life.

"Don't worry now, I was just kidding a bit" said Tikki, but Adrien thought otherwise. "But you will face a lot of threats if you date Marinette. As you know, Marinette has a lot of people close to her, some of them are quite famous, some of them are a bit zealous of black cats that broke their daughter's heart. But I'm sure you'll manage it".

"I love Marinette a lot. Nothing can or will ever stop me from loving her" said Adrien, now very serious and determined.

Tikki pat his head. "Well said Adrien" said the kwami not noticing that Mari had just arrived. "Now I can finally give you my approval as well as my blessing".

"Tikki!" whined Marinette even redder than before, startling Tikki and Adrien. Adrien found cute how she could blush so much.

"Are those Camembert filled croissants?" asked Plagg gleefully as he darted over Marinette. "Adrien, you better make her happy and marry her this instant or I'll cataclysm your butt to the next millennia".

"M-M-Marry?" said both teens profoundly blushing at unison.

"And here I thought you'd drop a pun to propose" teased Plagg and Tikki nudged him.

"Stop teasing them so much Stinky Socks!" said Tikki.

"I'm sorry Sugar Cube, but I've been hearing this kitten fantasize with her so much on both sides of both masks. This is my revenge" said Plagg.

"N-No croissants then" managed to stutter Marinette.

"Not the croissants!" said Plagg as he kneeled apologising on mid-air. "I'm sorry Princess! I shall never enrage you again".

"G-Good. Have one then" said Marinette still blushing. Adrien was speechless and amazed.

"You're amazing Marinette" said Adrien without thinking. "If I could, I'd ask you to Mari me".

Marinette.exe stopped working. She blushed, groaned, rolled her eyes and squealed. At the same time. Adrien was once again surprised by her, until he registered what he had just said and turn into another blushing mess. Plagg was cackling as if it was the funniest thing he had seen ever, even crying from laughing to hard. But nobody expected Tikki to enter into a giggling mood that didn't stop even when Plagg had finished laughing. Adrien wanted to crawl into a hole and never get out. But Marinette grabbed his shirt shyly, not looking to him because of sheer embarrassment, but also not letting him go.

"Ad-drien. I h-h-hate you" she said and then give him a shy peck on the cheeks and proceeded to hide herself behind a gigantic pillow.

Adrien stood there, uncertain of what just happened and unsure of what to do, but everything was irrelevant since Marinette has given him a kiss on the cheek. A lot of feelings revolved inside of him, thus causing Adrien.exe to stop working. That is, until Plagg decided to feed him with a Camembert-filled croissant which was, to Adrien's disgust, impressibly delicious. He munches it down and resisted the urge to stare at Marinette until his heart was satisfied.

"Come on now, don't go all silent you two" said Plagg. "Do your weird human mating ritual and begin to date or whatever you find appropriate".

"He's right Marinette, you two have confessed your feelings already but, those that means that you're a couple?" pointed Tikki.

"I- Uh- Do you-" fumbled Adrien, not sure of how to express his feelings.

Marinette giggled a bit seeing her partner doing silly faces while trying to figure what to say. "Would you two give us a bit of time to discuss some stuff?"

"Your wishes are orders Princess" said Plagg bowing as he and Tikki turned to leave the room.

"So..." began Adrien.

"Yeah, so..." said Marinette awkwardly. "What should we do know?"

"I want to date you, I really want to, but..." said Adrien scratching his neck and hoping that Marinette didn't misunderstand him.

"But there is a lot to process and you don't want to make things weird" finished Marinette nodding, calming both of them the fact that they had thought similarly.

"Purrcisely, I couldn't have said that better" said Adrien. "Though, I really want all of this to go away and date you and maybe hold hands with you and take you on some dates" said as he blushed.

She looked at him with tender eyes and love pouncing through her body. "I want that too" said with a gentle and shy smile.

"So, when I'm ready, and you are as well, could we..." said Adrien, but got interrupted by Marinette, who decided that it was a good idea to kiss him and didn't expect that his brain would melt at that.

"Yes kitty, when we're both ready, I want you to take me on a date" said Marinette with a bright blush on her cheeks."

-------------------------------------

Epilogue:

Marinette and Adrien finally where ready three months later. Everyone had stopped getting the time ripples effects when they fixed it, but there were a lot of things to work out. With Adrien decided to help her and Alix wanting to kick some butts, Marinette finally managed to prove that Lila was a liar. It didn't happen on the course of a day thought. They had first convinced Alya and Nino with some proof they had managed to gather, getting both of them on their side. But Alya was a major breakthrough in the whole operation. After apologizing for ages, she swam through the internet, getting medical records, testimonies, gathering proof of Lila's lies and contacting Lia's previous classmates to ask about her. Almost singlehandedly she managed to recompile enough data to prove once and for all that Lila was an evil.

Obviously other people participated. Luka tried to help after apologizing to Marinette for breaking up with her, but Alix and Alya refused to let him help, so he simply gathered some information and handle it to the boys, who were a tad more understanding, specially Adrien after knowing that Luka had simply having so many dreams of Marinette being happy with him that left Luka almost paranoid. Kagami also apologised to Adrien, but this time the girls didn't interfere because Marinette had expressly called her to help due to the fact that she had also been involved with Lila's lies and that they were friends, no matter if they both loved the same boy. She was a valuable asset to the team and working with other people along with Marinette's encouragement, Kagami made some more friends. And then was Max. He had been the hardest one to convince, but after showing Markov the evidence and the little robot stubbornly forced the boy to look at it too, they managed to get him to help, but only after Ladybug and Chat Noir deakumatized him.

When they released the truth to the principal and the teachers, there was a burst of anger between the humiliated adults, but they managed to keep their feelings in check and called Mrs. Rossi to talk with her. Lila got expulsed, her mother wanted to send her back to Italy, but after everyone saw how she willingly accepted Hawk Moth's offer of akumatization, it was clear that she couldn't simply walk away. They called the authorities and send her to a minor center on Italy, far from Hawk Moth's influence and far from anyone she could manipulate.

Then it was the turn of the students to know and Scarlet Moth made an appearance once again. This time thought, the heroes where prepared and they had more than enough back up to deal with all the students. Afterwards, a lot of people apologized to Marinette for being rude to her or accusing her of being jealous. She forgave them, because she knew it wasn't fully their fault, they were being manipulated after all. But she never forgot, and it showed. She never fully got back to her lovely attitude. She was still selfless and stood up to any injustice people faced, but she also was wearier of them and didn't fully trust anyone. No one blamed her for it, rather, they were thankful that she at least tried to keep thing normal between everyone.

Soon enough, she became a sensation. Everyone in school adored her, there were fan clubs and she got a lot of commissions. She opened a fashion blog and began to post her newest creations along with her never ending commissions. Adrien helped her as much as he could doing anything for her or simply being for her, not ready to date her yet but caring for her nonetheless. It helped a lot that the akumas where fewer than ever and that Mayura had surrendered her miraculous anonymously, leaving it along with a note on the Major's desk, who immediately contacted Ladybug and returned it to her. At the same time, Nathalie had resigned as Gabriel's assistant and left the mansion forever, leaving Adrien a bit sad, but Gorilla made sure to fill in her role, always caring of the boy as if it was his own child.

Slowly, everything fell back in order and improved further any expectation Adrien or Marinette could had ever thought. They were more in love with each other, having fell for the other each day had passed, making their feelings grow as much as possible and, when the time finally came, they began to date. Alix lamented ever pitying Marinette's embarrassment back in the burrow, future Bunnix was right and they both were sickening with all their lovey-dovey interactions. Even Rose despised them from time to time for being so cheesy, and Rose was an addict to romance. But everyone was happy for them, even if they only showed disgust for their newly founded couple. As for what happened with Hawk Moth? Well, that's a story for another time.

#weird fic #miraculous ladybug

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gilbirda · 7 years ago

Text

Human courting is confusing. Chapter 26

So here’s the next one. I have an exam in a few hours but I finished this as my mind can’t seem to focus on thermodynamics and physics enough.

Don’t be like mama Gil, guys.

[FF.net][Ao3]

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Day 26: Getting married.

Saidan considered himself a smart man. A scholar. In fact, he was one of the smartest demons in hell, ranked barely below the Brain Eater.

But he lacked brawls. In power he was ranked pretty low on the list and if he wasn't on the Court he was positive that no one would ever know his name. But he was needed here, next to the Emperor, and he was positive it was because the Brain Eater didn't do his job. Saidan was the back up plan.

Everyone knew it. And it was humiliating.

So when Neuro scaped to the World Above he saw his opportunity. Finally! A moment to teach him a lesson! He spent every single second lobbying for the immediate arrest and execution of the rogue demon as soon as he left through his forced portal, and when it was heard about his sudden return he was gleaming with joy.

But, the prick had found a worthy partner. That changed everything. That threw everything he had worked on for what seemed like an eternity to the deepest pitch of Hell. You see, if a powerful demon finds a worthy partner it isa big deal, because it means a change in the status quo, a messenger send by Fate to change the scales of power.

The last time a top five demon found a worthy partner, he became the Emperor.

Saidan clearly remembers the day that Gabrielle came to Hell, a flimsy human afraid of her own shadow. No one considered her worthy at all, but as she was brought there by the son of the current Emperor no one challenged or said anything about it. The mating was such an event, the human doing a hundred-eighty degrees change, becoming the powerful being she was now. It became legend.

And this… stupid woman in the center of the room was threatening the way of things, probably without knowing what she was doing. She was not worthy of mating the Brain Eater! Everyone knew so. He was sure of it.

A look around the room confirmed him that everyone of the Court agreed about the girl. Maybe except Mamoru, but that boy was always so closed up about his thoughts and emotions, so Saidan simply ignored him. But the general consensus was that today would be proven that humans were not made to mate powerful demons, so no more pesky weaklings would enter the demon ways of things anymore.

And that would wipe out the Brain Eater out of his way. He smiled.

“Don’t be so cocky,” he heard a voice behind him. Saidan turned and found that Raven had chosen to sit beside him instead of nearer to her parents. It wasn’t surprising giving the fact that not long ago the woman arrived at the Palace, heavily wounded and weakened, noticeably angry but somewhat tamed.

Everyone knew that she had just challenged the human for the right to mate Neuro, and she had lost. To a human girl.

“And why is that?” he asked without tearing his eyes from the couple getting ready to perform the weaving. Neuro had gracefully kneeled in front of the Emperor and took a wet rag to clean his hands. It was tradition to clean oneself from any dirt before joining their mates.

“That human is not normal, Saidan,” there was real fear in her voice and for a fraction of a second the demon felt doubt.

“How so?” Now it was the woman’s turn to kneel and clean herself, doing so with no grace and painfully slow.

“She can summon the Tools,” Raven lowered her voice, trying to keep their conversation between themselves.

Saidan felt his heart skip a beat. Raven must be mistaken. She must have seen wrong. Because it had to be impossible that the human was able to access the Tools, something that only the top ten ranked demons could do. The last human that did it…

He looked nervously at the Empress, carefully seating in her throne in her pure white kimono, making her literally gleam in the dark room. Her kind smile wouldn’t tell anything about the things she was capable of doing, but demons old enough could remember. Hecould.

It was not something that a human without any demonic power should be able to summon. The amount of power, focus and ability to do that was gained after years of training, even for someone already powerful enough to spend energy in the summoning. And the girl was alive?

Maybe…

“No,” he said, refusing to believe it.

***

“You may begin,” bounced the deep voice of the Emperor, now in his human form. He appeared as a tall man dressed in a pitch black kimono. Yako could see a third eye on his forehead, very similar to the one on Raven’s bird form, and then the detective saw the obvious resemblance between the daughter and the father. The dark hair and even darker aura, the pale skin and the eyes full of evil intent.

It was so sad that Raven had very little of her mother. Gabrielle was the total opposite of her husband, and now side by side the differences were painfully obvious. How the hell, no pun intended, did someone so pure end up being the Empress of Hell? With what dark scheme did the Emperor get this human woman to agree to this madness?

Yako couldn’t imagine what would it be like to be the Emperor’s bride. If it was already pretty rough with Neuro, how many painful experiences did the human suffer before getting here?

A movement on her side woke her from her thoughts. It was Neuro initiating the weaving, she was sure, and she looked in his direction not before taking a quick glance at Gabrielle in her giant throne.

“My strength will be your strength,” he said, taking her left hand between his, the difference in their abilities very much obvious. If he wanted to crush her hand he could do it, and the reality on the fact made her heart skip a beat. “My blood will be your blood,” the demon continued, picking up the dagger on the floor before making a swift clean cut on her palm. She flinched, but the pain was less than she expected. “My power will be yours,” he then let out his aura, a colorless shine that lighted the dark room they were in, dancing on the pale faces of the demons of the Court, who were clearly afraid of what he could do. Yako thought that it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. “And from now to eternity, I will be yours and you will be mine.”

Their eyes fixed on each other, a determined shine on his emerald ones, an amused tone in hers. They both knew what the other was thinking, that the people on the Court expected her to fail, that they expected her to be afraid, to back out from this. He smiled in equal amusement. The Court had always been stupid and this was a perfect opportunity to shut their mouths for good.

Yako took a deep breath and started her own vows.

“My strength will be your strength,” the human took the dagger with her uninjured hand from where he had let it down, and softly placed his left hand on her left one, careful of the oozing blood. “My blood will be your blood,” she made a cut deep enough to draw blood, but the demon didn’t even flinch, he just smiled, his eyes on her face the whole time. “My power will be yours,” her eyes lighted with a new force, one Neuro knew very well, the one that almost no human could see, too blinded by their unevolved minds. The Demon Court gasped, watching the new aura coming from the unsuspecting human on the center of the room, shocked by her strength and willpower. “And from now to eternity I will be yours and you will be mine.”

And as they let their mirrored wounds touch, the light in the room exploded in a myriad of colors, engulfing the demons in the Court in raw power, choking them, making them suffocate under the pressure of one of the most powerful demons in Hell. Some even watched in amusement, still not believing that a mere human could dream of mating the Brain Eater, expecting her to be consumed by the enormous energy swirling around.

But, to the utmost shock of the unbelievers, she was laughing in delight. The lowly human was enjoying the crippling pressure coming from the power of the demon, answering with a power of her own that, while many times smaller than his, was playing and swirling in harmony with the other like they were meant to be together.

With a final giggle from the woman, the light condensed back to the central point of the court room. A few seconds passed in complete silence, no one daring to break the intense moment they had experienced, watching the newly joined couple in front of them. He had reverted back to his original form, a giant bird with great horns adorning his head and dangerous talons scratching the stone floor; and smiling by his side, the tiny human some had come to respect this very moment, full of demonic power and literally glowing with the excess of energy absorbed in her body. She was happily snuggling the side of her mate, letting the soft feathers caress her face.

The Emperor looked at them and slightly bowed, acknowledging the joined couple, and got up from his seat signaling the end of the gathering. Some demons let out a breath they didn’t know they were holding, exhausted.

The giant bird’s head turned towards his mate and gently poked her side with its beak, breaking her from her heaven of soft warmth feathers. Yako grumbled, not liking being pulled down from her power high, and stood straighter with a tiny smile on her lips.

She was alive. They were mated. It was done.

***

“Congratulations,” said Lakhmet when everyone got out of the Court room. A clearly fake smile on her dangerous lips, and Yako wondered if her face was frozen in that expression 24/7. She was not liked here, not that she didn’t expect it, but the thought was still painful enough to damper her happy mood a little bit.

“Thanks,” she answered before her mate could, with an equally fake smile. Her mind was more focused now and her body was oozing with demonic power. It was like she was on some kind of drug that accelerated her cognitive functions, making her feel more awake and, well, smart.

Lakhmet’s eye twitched, the smile not leaving her lips as she turned and left the hallway. Yako’s smile grew.

The next one was Mamoru, who just nodded and bowed slightly before walking to the corridor on their left. As usual, he was expressionless, but surprisingly enough, that didn’t even affect her. It was just one person that wasn’t looking her down.

From the corner of her eye she could see Tantalus murmuring something to her mate, quick hissing words and a worried expression, but before she could approach them she was intercepted by the one demon she didn’t want to face, who was next to the demon she didn’t want to meet.

“Congrats,” Saidan bowed slightly with his trademark fake kind smile on place. His striking blue eyes were even more impressive at close distance, but fortunately her overworking mind could focus on the conversation more than she would be able to mere hours ago.

“Thank you,” she answered with a little bow of her own, purposely not looking at Raven. A quick glance at her confirmed that the bird demon was very unhappy and glaring openly at her.

“Naturally, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the Court, Katsuragi Yako,” the cat demon continued in a gleeful voice, totally fake. “It is not every day that a human manages such a position among our kind.”

“Thanks, I guess,” Yako didn’t know where he was going with this. “But I really don’t care about the position. I just wanted to mate my husband.”

Saidan’s smile faltered for a bit.

“So honorable of you, my dear! Tell me, why the rush? Expecting children soon?”

“Excuse me?” she couldn’t believe it. But as the cat demon opened his mouth to give what Yako supposed was the final strike, Raven, who had been surprisingly silent all this time, interrupted him:

“You really don’t know what you got yourself into!?” the woman pushed aside her comrade and place the full glare of her crimson eyes on the human. “Did you really mate the Brain Eater out of love?” she spat the word like it was some kind of insult. “How stupid can you be?”

The detective didn’t expect this to happen, at least not so soon, so she didn’t have any response to that. She just blinked a few times, trying to know what this was all about. Neuro said that Raven had been trying to mate him for a while, but here was the woman looking down on love and calling her stupid. What was her motive?

“I can’t believe this!” Raven continued, “Of all the things he could mate with he choses a human! Tell me, insect, what did you do to get his attention? It can’t be your looks,” Yako’s eye twitched at the comment, “or your intelligence,” another twitch, “so, how? Did you spend your time whoring-”

“Enough.”

“How do you dare-!”

“I said enough!”

There was a bright light and then Raven was pushed to the other side of the hallway, her body breaking through the wood and crashing into the next wall with a loud thud before falling to the ground. Her face couldn’t be seen under her thick black hair, but as she didn’t get up she must have been knocked out.

“Oh my,” a gentle voice giggled behind Yako. Gabrielle was there in all her white glory, one hand on her mouth trying to hide a smile behind her kimono sleeve.

“I’m sorry!” the detective said bowing very low, ashamed. This was the Empress and Raven’s mother, not matter how much she disliked the princess.

“She had it coming, so don’t worry dear. Do you mind having a walk with me?”

Yako looked back to her mate, worried of having embarrassed him or breaking some kind of rule that would get them in trouble. But as what she found was an amused expression and a look in his eyes that usually told her when he was up for some funny times, she breathed deeply.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

#majin tantei nougami neuro #neuyako #nogami neuro #katsuragi yako #mtnn #fanfic #gil writes

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southeastasianists · 7 years ago

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Female activists are battling the system and rampant misogyny in the fight to have their voices heard. Southeast Asia Globe explores the challenges facing some of Malaysia’s most prominent female civil society leaders

Maria Chin Abdullah turns to an empty page in her notebook and begins to sketch an outline of her cell. She knows it was in Kuala Lumpur, but, blindfolded every time she was taken out of it, has no sense of its exact location.

The 62-year-old draws the four walls, the concrete bench where she slept, the two strip lights along the ceiling, the door with its one-way hatch and, in the corner, the shower with the air-conditioning – sometimes hot, sometimes cold – blowing directly above it.

This cell – she thinks it was probably in a basement – is where Chin was held in solitary confinement after being detained by Malaysian police on the eve of last November’s Bersih 5 protests, which called for electoral reform and an end to corruption.

In all, the Bersih leader was held for 11 days, nearly all of it under SOSMA, a law introduced to deal with terrorists. Accused of “activities detrimental to parliamentary democracy”, Chin was eventually released without charge.

“It is really unjust,” she says. “You detain me under SOSMA, put me in solitary confinement, interrogate me on a daily basis over many, many hours, and yet you can’t even come up with charges. This is all part of the intimidation.”

The mother of three is perhaps contemporary Malaysia’s best-known civil rights activist, capable of convincing tens of thousands of Malaysians to take to the streets to demand free and fair elections and an end to corruption.

But Chin is not the only woman making a mark in the country’s small, but vocal, civil society. The government might be keen to talk about its initiatives to propel more women into decision-making roles in business and the public sector, but women are already at the forefront of issues from refugee and migrant rights to religion, heritage conservation and the environment.

In their work, they battle a patriarchal society where men still dominate politics – the country has been under the same central government since independence in 1957 and has never had a prime minister who wasn’t male or Malay, the majority ethnic group – as well as preconceived notions about what women should and shouldn’t do.

“I don’t really look my age, so sometimes they feel they don’t have to take me seriously,” says Yasmin Rasyid, 42, a US-trained biologist who founded the non-profit EcoKnights 12 years ago. The group spends about 80% of its time on environmental advocacy. “I’m kind of cursed in a few ways. Female is one, being not a typical image of a Muslim woman is another… In this field, I feel that I always have to prove myself.”

Cynthia Gabriel, a Malaysian of Sri Lankan ancestry who made her name in the human rights group Suaram and helped found the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) three years ago, has also felt the pressure to conform to stereotypes in her work as an activist and a councillor. Gabriel spent eight years on the Petaling Jaya council after being appointed in 2008 (there are no local elections in Malaysia).

“It’s not just being a woman,” the 44-year-old says. “In this country I’m also a minority and I’m also small [Gabriel is about 1.57m tall]. When I was on the council and had to do a lot of public engagement work, I could tell immediately when the public sees me coming they would think: ‘Oh my God, she’s a woman and she’s so tiny!’ The first impression is: how can we take her seriously? It’s daunting, but it has never stopped me from speaking my mind.”

Out of 222 seats in Malaysia’s federal parliament, women hold just 23; in the cabinet, only three of the 35 ministers are female. Few women hold seats at the state level either.

“It’s nothing to do with the individual’s ability to take up leadership roles,” says Maznah Mohamad, associate professor in the Department of Malay Studies at the National University of Singapore, who is attempting to convince parties at the state level to adopt a policy of women-only additional seats to kickstart gender representation. “It’s the other things: the networks, the money, the patronage, your links with the party. There is no shortage of capable women to run for political office, but the conditions are still not there.”

Sexism and discrimination is so common in public life that the Joint Action Group for Gender Equality, a collective of seven women’s NGOs, holds an annual awards event to highlight the worst offenders and raise awareness about the extent of the problem.

In April, one MP claimed that nine-year-old girls were “physically and spiritually” ready for marriage and that there was nothing wrong with a rapist marrying his victim. The law under debate when he made his comments – to outlaw child marriage – failed to pass.

A few months later, during discussions on domestic abuse laws, one MP claimed men suffered “abuse” when their wives criticised them, refused to have sex or didn’t let them take a second wife. Male MPs have also ridiculed women for having periods, to chortles from some of the other men in the House.

It is the kind of environment in which threats and intimidation against women thrive, and those who are most visible – the campaigners and the few politicians – are easy targets.

In the weeks leading up to Bersih 5, Chin received a death threat showing her and her sons beheaded in an Isis-style execution. C4’s Gabriel has endured numerous threats to her safety in her campaign to uncover the truth about Malaysia’s $1.2 billion purchase of two submarines from France in 2002, a deal tarnished by allegations of kickbacks and the murder of a mistress of one of the key players.

“You cannot back off in pursuit of the truth,” the 42-year-old tells Southeast Asia Globe during an interview at her office.

In July, a French judge investigating the alleged kickbacks indicted Abdul Razak Baginda, who negotiated the deal and was an advisor to Najib Razak, then the minister of defence and now Malaysia’s prime minister. Two top French executives have also been indicted. “That’s what makes you strong and resilient. You must do as much as you can, while you can,” Gabriel adds.

Earlier this month, as the sun began to set over the centre of Kuala Lumpur, about 1,000 women took to the streets in protest at what they called the country’s “toxic” politics.

“Long live women! Long live Malaysia!” they shouted as they congregated outside a shopping mall, hemmed in by elevated walkways and a small number of police separating the crowd from the traffic. Carrying bunches of purple balloons and holding hand-drawn banners aloft they walked to a cacophony of drums, stopping behind a pick-up truck transformed into a makeshift stage.

Chin was among the organisers of the event, which was in some ways a ‘who’s who’ of the most well-known women in Malaysia’s public life. C4’s Gabriel was in the crowd. Marina Mahathir, renowned for her work on HIV/Aids, stood on a truck at the front of the procession with her mother. Alongside them was Faridah Ariffin, a former ambassador and outspoken member of G25, the influential group of former civil servants calling for a more moderate Malaysia. Chin’s predecessor at Bersih, lawyer Ambiga Sreenevasan, was there too. As was Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the current head of the opposition.

“We have so little power everywhere else, and this [rally] was a space to assert some kind of voice. To see a lot of women coming together like that, it renews a sense of hope”

On the street, as successive women clambered aboard the truck to rally the crowd, Maryam Lee and her friends beat their drums. The 25-year-old founding member of Projek Dialog, a group set up to encourage Malaysians to talk about issues such as religion and sexuality, which are usually batted away as ‘too sensitive’ to discuss, is one of a growing number of younger women seeking to make their mark in civil society.

“It just felt powerful,” she says of the rally. “We have so little power everywhere else, and this was a space to assert some kind of voice. To see a lot of women coming together like that, it renews a sense of hope.”

Lee, who’s been the target of vicious social media attacks, particularly around her decision to stop wearing a headscarf, says it was her time as a student that awakened her to the injustices around her and fuelled her activism. She was an undergraduate at Universiti Teknologi Mara, Malaysia’s biggest university, which is open only to bumiputera – the official term used to describe the country’s ethnic Malay majority and other indigenous people.

“My first question was: why are there no Chinese and Indians?” she recalls during an interview at her home in an eastern suburb of Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia has significant populations of people of Chinese and Indian descent, and increasing numbers of mixed marriages.

These days Lee calls herself an “intellectual activist”, which she defines as someone who aims to shape public opinion, and is pursuing a master’s degree in development studies at the University of Malaya.

Universities, whether at home or overseas, have proved a fertile training ground for the Malaysian women now shaping civil society. Analytical chemistry may seem an unlikely degree for someone who now fights corruption, but it was the subject that introduced Gabriel to campaigning after she helped an NGO investigating suspected nuclear contamination at a village in northern Malaysia. Later, she studied for a master’s in law.

For Chin, her studies in England coincided with the Vietnam War and a political awakening across campuses in Europe and the US. Back home, too, it was a time of tension. Race riots had stunned Malaysia in 1969, leading to affirmative action in favour of the bumiputera – a policy that remains in force today – while industrialisation was creating new challenges for workers, and women.

When Chin returned to Malaysia she took up the fight for women’s causes using the skills she’d learned as a student to cajole and persuade. Gradually, her interests expanded.

While Chin has endured intimidation and harassment, she has no intention of caving in.

In detention, she was questioned every day, but stood her ground. “The same questions over and over and over, but asked differently,” she recalls. “I was asked to give names. It was like pushing me to confess to something I didn’t do.”

Bersih 5 continued without Chin and the 14 other activists who had been arrested the night before. Despite the intimidation, at least 40,000 people still filled the streets and the group’s leaders immediately announced they would hold a vigil every night until Chin was released. The Kuala Lumpur authorities soon closed off Merdeka Square in the centre of the city where they planned to hold their vigil, but people came anyway, while hundreds of women marched to parliament to show their support for the jailed civil society leader.

On 28 November, Chin was freed. She is convinced it was those public campaigns that helped secure her release.

“They don’t realise that the strength of the people who support us has always been constant, and that gives us the courage to speak out,” she says. “The fear is always there: the fear of arrest. But you know that you won’t be alone, even if you’re in solitary confinement.”

#Southeast Asia #Malaysia #Activism #People #Gender Issues

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cristinablackthornkingson · 7 years ago

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Shadowhunters Story #8

“Is everything alright?” 18-year-old Cecily Herondale nervously asks Brother Zachariah, as he finishes examining her. Cecily and Gabriel had been married for 3 months now, Gabriel proposed just before Cecily’s 18th birthday and they quickly planned the wedding and became husband and wife two months after Cecily turned 18. Their marriage so far had been wonderful, they were saving up for a home of their own and in the meantime were living in the institute which was now run by Tessa and Will. Every morning they would train together, then have lunch, then Gabriel would spend some time doing paperwork for the Clave and Cecily would read a book or spend time with Tessa and Will. After that, they would go for a carriage ride if it was raining or a walk in Hyde Park if it was a nice day. After that they would go back to the institute and usually spent the evening training some more. However the last few weeks Cecily had begun to feel quiet unwell, her stomach was cramping, her back was giving her pain and she had little to no energy. Both Gabriel and Will immediately wanted to summon The Silent Brothers, but Cecily wouldn’t let them at first, convinced it was just a stomach flu and she would get over it in no time. But 3 weeks passed and her symptoms were only getting worse, so she finally allowed Gabriel and Will to summon Brother Zachariah (of course it was Will who insisted Brother Zachariah come to check Cecily over and no one else). And that is where she is now, lying propped up on the bed she and Gabriel share, with Brother Zachariah standing over her.

Brother Zachariah draws his hood back and turns to face Cecily.

Congratulations, Miss Lightwood. He says. Congratulations? What could he possibly be congratulating her on?

“I-I beg your pardon?” Cecily stammers.

Miss Lightwood you are 2 months pregnant. Brother Zachariah informs her. Immediately, Cecily’s mind begins to swirl, her chest tightens and tears well in her eyes. Pregnant, at 18, only married 2 months, everyone would think she was indecent and improper, everyone would think she and Gabriel married because she was pregnant. Will would lock her up in a convent, after he killed Gabriel. What was she meant to do?

There’s a light knock on the door just then, and it opens just enough for Cecily to be able to see her husband’s face, his green eyes filled with worry.

“May I come in now?” He asks. He had been waiting outside in the hallway the entire time, with Will, both of them worried sick about Cecily. Tessa had tried to convince them to give her space but they refused to move from the hallway outside the bedroom.

Yes Mr. Ligthwood, you may enter, I was jut leaving. Brother Zachariah says, drawing his hood up and silently making his way from the room.

“We likely only have a few minutes before your brother comes charging in here, is everything alright, love? Did you find why you are so ill?” Gabriel softly asks, cupping Cecily’s pale face in his hands and smiling lovingly at her. Cecily feels the tears begin to well up in her eyes again and focuses her gaze on the bed before Gabriel can see the tears, but it’s too late, he knew the minute he stepped into the room that something was wrong. “Gabriel, I-” Cecily tries to tell him about her pregnancy, but her throat tightens and a sob escapes her mouth before she can finish her sentence.

“Cecily? What is it? What’s the matter my love?” Gabriel softly asks, urgency and panic in his tone.

“I’m pregnant.” Cecily whispers, tears now rapidly pouring down her pale face. Gabriel stares at her with his jaw hanging open and a blank look on his face, before he regains his composure and softly says

“W-we’re going to have a child? I’m going to be a father?” Cecily nods and in a tight tone of voice tells him

“Yes and now everyone will think I’m a slag and that we got married because I got pregnant outside of marriage, but I didn’t, because we never…. before we married, it must have happened on our wedding night, but nobody will believe that!”

“Cecily, I will never let anyone speak ill of you, if anyone dares to call you names or assume the baby was conceived out of wedlock, then they will have me to deal with, you are my wife and I will defend you until my last breath.” Gabriel firmly says. Leaning her head against his shoulder, Cecily softly says

“William is going to kill you.” Gabriel chuckles and smooths his large, scarred hand over Cecily’s long, silky dark hair and softly says

“Oh I don’t think he’d leave his niece or nephew fatherless and his sister a widow.” Cecily laughs softly and wraps her arms around her husband, quietly telling him

“I love you.” Gabriel kisses her forehead and says

“I love you too.”

Cecily knew there was no point in trying to hide the pregnancy from anyone for any length of time, Lily- the ladies maid- would have to know since Cecily would soon be unable to fit in her clothes, and Lily was quiet the gossip, and once she knew, everyone in London would know. Cecily wasn’t sure why Tessa and Will kept her employed here.

When Cecily and Gabriel step out into the hall, they find Will still leaning against the wall opposite the bedroom, with Tessa now at his side.

“Cece, are you alright, what did Jem say?” Will asks, as his sister and Gabriel approach he and Tessa.

“William, promise me you will not overreact when I tell you why I have been so ill?” Cecily asks her older brother, even though she knew no matter what, Will would take a swing at Gabriel.

“Why, what’s wrong?” Will asks in a cautious tone.

“You’re going to be an Uncle in a few months, Will.” Cecily says in a matter-of-fact tone, refusing to let the anxiety creep back in.

“I’m sorry, what?” Will asks, deadly quiet.

“You’re going to be an uncle, I’m pregnant.” Cecily calmly says, placing a hand on her stomach. Will’s blue eyes fill with rage and land on Gabriel.

“You son of a bitch.” Will says, the rage now seeping into his voice too. Before anyone can react to his outburst, Will swings his fist toward’s Gabriel’s face, missing only by seconds when Gabriel leaps out of the way. “William!” Tessa exclaims, grabbing her husband by the arm and pulling him back. “William how dare you?! Gabriel has done nothing wrong, you cannot just try to hit him like that!” Tessa says.

“He got my baby sister pregnant, Tessa! What am I suppose to do, stand back and do nothing?!” Will asks.

“Yes William! Cecily is a grown adult now, whether you like it or not, she chose to marry Gabriel and now she is choosing to have his child, he did not force her into this, Gabriel is not a bad a person, he loves your sister just as much as you love me and he has been a wonderful husband and will no doubt be a wonderful father. You need to get over your hatred for the Lightwoods and be there for your sister and your niece or nephew, Cecily needs you and your support now more than ever William, so grow up and be there for her, or else you might loose her again.” Tessa firmly tells her husband. Everyone is silent for a few minutes, before Will quietly says

“You’re right, Tess. Gabriel, Cecily, I’m sorry, what I did was ignorant and childish of me, that’s not who I am anymore. Gabriel, I know you love my sister very much and I know you treat her like a queen, and I also know you will be a wonderful father, far better than your own father, I am sorry for how I have behaved towards you these last few years, I know you have changed from the ignorant teenager you once were, I would like to start over with you Gabriel, and be there for you and Cecily and my niece or nephew.”

“T-thank you… William, I accept your apology and I would like start over with you too.” Gabriel stammers, shocked at Will’s sudden change in attitude. Tessa is the best thing ever to happen to that man.

Will holds his hand out for Gabriel to shake and says

“Friends?” Gabriel smiles and shakes his brother-in-law’s hand and says

“Friends.”

The next 7 months passed by quickly and peacefully, Cecily had no complications in her pregnancy, Gabriel was only too happy to buy her new clothes when she began to show and couldn’t fit in her old clothes. They settled into a new routine as well. Cecily would wake up every morning to Gabriel’s dark head bent to her stomach, as he talked quietly and gently to their baby, telling them all about the world, about their amazing, beautiful mother, their odd Uncle Will, strong aunt Tessa, kind aunt Sophie, gentle Uncle Gideon, and the list went on, of all the wonderful people the baby would have in their life. They no longer trained together first thing in the morning, but they did have breakfast together, then instead of training they would simply sit in bed discussing baby names, their hands on Cecily’s swollen stomach waiting to feel any kick or movement from the baby. Then while Gabriel continued with his paper work for the Clave as usual, Cecily wrote letters to Charlotte in Idris, who was only too happy to give her advice on motherhood and pregnancy. Charlotte and Henry now had two sons, 4 year old Charles and 2 year old Matthew, and according to Charlotte they still wanted two more children. Cecily and Gabriel had discussed if they would like to have more children, but have yet to come to a conclusion. After they spent time on their letters and paperwork, they still went on carriage rides and walks around Hyde Park, fantasizing what it will be like to walk around with a baby carriage and their little one in the baby carriage, it seemed so unbelievable that one day they would have a tiny little baby of their own. Sometimes while in town they would pop into the shops and look at baby clothes, cribs and strollers, and often times they came back from their carriage ride or walk with bags full of baby clothes and stuffed toys, and a piece of furniture for the nursery, to be delivered the next day. Then they spent the evenings adding things to the nursery, Will and Gabriel had spent hours one night trying to build the crib, refusing to allow Cyril or anyone else to help.

Cecily had regular checkups from Brother Zachariah throughout her pregnancy, and he was always happy to report that the baby was growing and thriving and Cecily was doing very well too. They had arranged for Brother Zachariah to be on hand at the birth, on the off chance something went wrong. They had also hired a private midwife named Angela, who also gave Cecily regular check ups throughout the pregnancy. Angela was also a shadowhunter, but not active as she had suffered a back injury in a demon hunt in her twenties and now could no longer keep up to speed with everyone else, so she retired from being a shadowhunter and spent the next few years studying and qualifying as a nurse and midwife.

When Cecily was 5 months pregnant, they decided that if they had a girl they would name her Anna Linette Herondale, and if they had a boy, they would name him Christopher Edmund Herondale.

Now Cecily was fast approaching her due date and everyone was on high alert, just waiting for her to go into labor.

As Cecily stands in their room, admiring the brand new bassinet they had just been gifted from Sophie and Gideon, she feels an intense pain coarse through her lower abdomen. She grabs one of the four posts on the bed, and clutches her stomach with the other had, trying to breath through the god awful pain. Thankfully, just minutes later, Gabriel walks in. When he sees his wife gripping to bed post and doubled over in agony, he immediately drops his brief case and runs to her side.

“Cecily, is it time?” he asks in a panicked tone. Cecily scrunches her face up in pain and nods before telling him “Get…. Angela…. and…. Brother Zachariah… now!”

6 hours later Cecily was extremely close to giving birth. Brother Zachariah stood in the corner by the door, while Tessa and Sophie sat on either side of Cecily, Sophie holding her hand while Tessa pressed a cold compress to her sweaty forehead. Gabriel was waiting outside with Will and Gideon, no doubt both he and Will were an anxious mess.

“Oh god this hurts!” Cecily cries out, as another contraction tears through her weak body.

“Oh Cecily I know, but I promise the pain is easily forgotten and ever so worth it when you hold your baby.” Sophie softly says. Cecily hoped more than anything that she was right, she was sick of this pain, the pain killing runes were doing nothing, Cecily was exhausted and spent and all she wanted was her son or daughter safely in her arms and Gabriel by her side.

“Just one more now Miss Lightwood.” Angela gently says. Cecily groans and pushes as hard as she can, clutching Sophie’s hand tightly as she feels the baby begin to leave her body. Moments later Cecily feels a weight lift from her and almost immediately a high pitched wail erupts through the room. Cecily laughs in delight and relaxes back into the pillows behind her. Minutes later, Tessa leaves to bring Gabriel, and then goes back out to her own husband, with Sophie not long behind her.

Just as Gabriel kneels by his wife’s side, Brother Zachariah approaches them with a bundle of blankets in his arms. He carefully lowers the baby to Cecily’s outstretched arms and says

Congratulations, your daughter is very healthy. Without another word, he draws the hood of his parchment robs up and leaves. Cecily pulls her daughter to her chest and gazes at her in amazement. She was a perfect mixture of her mother and father, with a shock of black hair just like Cecily’s, tanned skin like Gabriel’s, a mouth and nose like Gabriel and Cecily’s eye shape.

“Well hello Anna, I’m so happy you’re finally here.” Gabriel softly says, gently smoothing his hand over his daughter’s tiny head.

“She’s so perfect.” Cecily whispers, her eyes filling with tears of joy.

“That she is, she’s perfect, just like her mother.”

#cecily herondale #gabriel lightwood #tessa gray #william herondale #brother zachariah #anna lightwood #the infernal devices #lightwoods #cassandra clare

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hekate1308 · 7 years ago

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I Know Not If There Is A Reason

Continuation of this, but can be read alone. Basically, my destiel version of the Addams family.

Castiel hates feeding on humans.

His siblings love it, enjoy using their powers to snare humans, laugh at their helplessly infatuated faces as they drink from their emotions for all they’re worth.

So what? They’ll say when Castiel tries to explain, the humans aren’t harmed by what we do, and we won’t starve.

But still, Castiel is left with a feeling of emptiness every time he snares a human into his trap because he has to. He’s all too aware that he can only inspire fake emotions. Not even his family likes him all that much, so why should someone else?

He knows he’s a weird siren. He shouldn’t even care about the humans he feeds on, or the feelings he inspires in them just to eat. But he can’t help it.

His reluctance to indulge in his family’s favourite pastime means that he’s a bit on the thin side, and probably always will be. They tease him about it. He can’t bring himself to be annoyed by it, not annoyed enough to enjoy himself when another man’s eyes light up with a love he’ll never truly inspire, anyway.

That all changes when he meets Dean Winchester.

Castiel learned how to control his powers as a child, like every siren has to. No matter how hungry one happens to be, it’s not practical to attract anyone one comes in contact with.

Of course there are the times when his powers simply activate themselves. Castiel hates it when that happens, especially because it usually means that someone he’s attracted to gets ensnared by his eyes and doesn’t really return his interest.

As just happened with the very handsome mechanic who uttered a marriage proposal not five seconds ago.

Castiel clamps down on his powers, already fearing the awkward talk that’s sure to follow.

The man blinks. “Woah. You’re a siren, right? Sorry, man. Didn’t mean to propose.”

“It’s quite alright” Castiel says, painfully aware that this beautiful man would never even look at him twice if it weren’t for his powers.

He smiles at him. “So, what’s wrong with your car?”

Normally people aren’t that nice after he’s used his powers on them, and it makes everything worse. Castiel shuffles his feet.

“I have no idea. It just... the motor won’t start again. I’m sorry, I know nothing about cars.”

“Good it’s my job to fix them, then” the mechanic – the tag on his jumpsuit reads Winchester – says simply.

Castiel nods, unsure what he’s supposed to say.

“I’m Dean, by the way” he says, holding out his hand, and Castiel reminds himself that he has to shake it.

“Castiel.”

“An angel name for a siren?”

“You know it?” he asks, surprised.

Dean shrugs. “My brother was into all that mythology stuff before he left home”. He sounds bitter, and Castiel decides he’s not made for that, he should be laughing, smiling, happy all the time, so that his eyes light up –

Dean leans forward and Castiel realizes his mistake, stepping back.

“I’m so – I didn’t mean for it to happen again, I can’t apologize enough – “

“Please, you can’t help it. I’ve read a bit about sirens in my time, when I was...” he trails off.

Castiel wonders if it’s about the brother who likes mythology. He knows all about complicated feelings toward family members.

“Still, I’m sorry. My powers tend to run wild when I find someone attr-“ He stops talking abruptly, mortified that he admitted it.

But Dean’s smile simply turns into a grin. “So I’m not the only one around here who thinks he’s lucky to be with a real hottie right now, huh.”

Cas swallows. He thinks this counts as flirtation, but isn’t sure; he so rarely indulges in behaviour of this kind, since he can never tell if someone genuinely likes him or has just been ensnared by him.

“No?”

Dean chuckles. “Say, what if I explain to you what’s going on with your car over dinner?”

Castiel knows he shouldn’t. There’s every reason to think his powers will run rampant if he spends too much time with Dean, making him believe that he likes Castiel when he really doesn’t.

But it’s been so long since someone who wasn’t under his spell showed any interest in him, and he’s weak.

He gives in.

That evening he’s trying to put together an outfit when Gabriel comes to see him. “Cassie! What, or should I say who, are you dressing up for?”

“Someone asked me out” he replies simply, hoping it will be enough. Of course it isn’t.

“Another siren?”

“No, a human.”

“Oh my, do you finally want to have a real dinner again?”

“No, Gabriel, he wasn’t ensnared. He just... wants to spend time with me.”

Gabriel stares at him. “Then what’s the point? He can’t have any feelings for you yet – “

“Exactly.”

His brother shakes his head. “You’re crazy, bro. Do you really think a human would be genuinely interested in a monster? And even if he seems into you, how will you make sure it’s not just your powers?”

Cas doesn’t answer because he doesn’t know either.

But that evening, laughing with Dean over a few excellent burgers, he can’t help but relax and “enjoy the ride” as Gabriel would put it.

Maybe a bit too much, he realizes belatedly when Dean stares at him in awe after he makes a joke and he suddenly feels fuller than he has in months.

He stands up hastily, reigning in his powers. “Dean, I can’t begin to tell you – “

“Hey” he says, taking his hand and pulling him back down on his seat, “I already said you don’t have to apologize. Yeah, you just almost whammied me into proposing to you again, but we can work around that, don’t we? Because I actually like you a lot, and I’d like to see where this is going.”

He hasn’t let go of Castiel’s hand.

Castiel can only nod.

Slowly, through trial and error, they figure things out. They learn that Castiel, who soon becomes Cas to Dean, can actually exercise a lot of control over his siren magic if he pays attention to it. They learn that he tends to forget about it in the early morning though, which is why he often wakes up with Dean cuddling him and refusing to let go. They learn that the better they get to know one another, the less hold his powers have over his boyfriend.

And Cas? He learns that it’s incredibly easy to fall for Dean Winchester.

At first, the realization scares him. Dean could have anyone, so why should he put up with someone who doesn’t even need solid food to survive?

Then comes the day when he realizes he’s not felt hungry for a week. It confuses him terribly, makes him wonder if he’s broken some sort of unwritten law and is going to starve to death for falling in love with a human, until his aunt Naomi points out his looks during family “dinner” (they call it that because they’re eating human food, but it’s just an excuse to get together on a regular basis).

“You look well, Castiel. You’ve finally put some meat on those bones.”

And he realizes that his belt is indeed painfully digging into his stomach.

“That’s his boyfriend’s doing” Gabriel says casually, “Guess he keeps him dosed up after all.”

“I don’t use my powers on Dean.” Come to think of it, even when he’s slipped Dean has barely responded in the last few weeks.

“Boyfriend?” Michael asks. “You’re dating a human?”

“Yes.”

“Castiel, what are you thinking? Our family reputation – “

Maybe if he hadn’t spent the last few months with someone who actually treats him well he would listen, but now he doesn’t care what Michael thinks.

He leaves and goes to see Dean.

“Hey Cas, didn’t expect you tonight” he says, kissing him. “Thought you had that family thing...”

“I did, but then my brother decided to be upset because I am dating a human.”

“What a... species-ist. Is there even a word for that?”

As always, Dean makes him feel better.

But still – why can’t his family be happy that he’s found love?

His boyfriend draws him into his arms when he realizes he’s still upset. “Hey” he says gently, “Remember Sam, my brother? He went away to college. We had a fight and haven’t spoken since. I get it, believe me.”

And as he rubs Cas’ back, the siren realizes why he’s not feeling hunger anymore. He’s being fed, but not by the false feelings his kind usually inspires in men.

Dean loves him.

He quickly moves to assure him the feeling’s mutual, much to Dean’s surprise.

Things progress rather quickly after that night. It’s easy to cut ties with the parts of the family who think he’s disgracing them, now that he has Dean to come home to every night.

Although Dean’s human neighbours seem to disagree. After he’s been spat on by the unpleasant old man from next door, his boyfriend has had enough.

“Hey, Cas” he asks casually the next morning at breakfast, “How about we get a house at the edge of town?”

“You’d live among monsters for me?”

Dean shrugs. “Most people aren’t nearly as pleasant as you happen to be. So, what do you say?”

Even after they move into the little house they fell in love with at first sight however, Cas can’t help but feel that it was unfair to force Dean out of his apartment.

Until they encounter Charlie and Gilda, a human and her fairy girlfriend, who live just down the street and come to welcome them to the neighbourhood.

“Hi, I’m – good God, can you turn it down? I thought I was turning straight for a second!”

Right. These days, he doesn’t think much about his powers, since Dean seems to have grown utterly immune to them. “My apologies.”

She grins. “It’s no problem. I’m Charlie, this is Gilda. Where’s your better half?”

“In here” Dean calls out from the kitchen, “Step in, we’re having burgers.”

And his boyfriend doesn’t even bat an eye when Gilda makes the basil on their window sill grow three inches after she tastes the burger.

Their introduction to Crowley is somewhat more adventurous.

There are frogs raining down on both theirs and their next-door-neighbours house, and Dean is in the process of shrugging and saying “We’ll have to wait it out, I guess” when someone falls off their own roof with a loud thump.

As they run out, a demon with red eyes gets up from the ground. “Sorry about that, boys. Your house was a bit closer to the heart of the spell; even my mother’s aim is off sometimes.”

And indeed the frogs stop coming down.

He holds out his hand. “Name’s Crowley.”

He soon becomes one of their closest friends, even if his mother’s a witch. True, he’s a bit full of himself and sometimes they hear goat screams coming from his house when he’s completing a ritual, but all in all, he’s a good neighbour.

Benny and Andrea move into the neighbourhood two years after Dean and Cas. It’s part of getting Andrea used to the supernatural before her husband changes her.

It makes Cas think of rings and forever, but before he can decide how to approach the subject, Dean takes him out for date night.

He brings him to a little clearing in the woods. Despite it being November, it’s pleasantly warm and there are flowers blooming. Gilda’s work, no doubt.

There’s a picnic basket there too, crammed with Cas’ favourite foods – he can still taste it, he just doesn’t need it, not with Dean’s love being so filling.

“Benny’s gumbo?” he asks when he recognizes the dish. Dean nods.

“They kinda... all helped.”

Cas kisses him. They are on their best way to forget all about dinner when Dean draws back, laughing.

“Wait a second, there’s something I have to ask you...”

He kneels down in front of him. “Cas, will you marry me?”

The ring is made out of silver and shimmers in the evening light. Cas can’t speak. He nods.

As soon as Dean puts the ring on his finger, a scroll appears next to them.

“Congrats Squirrel and Feathers. Next time the drinks are on me. XX Crowley”

Written in blood, of course.

“He helped me melt the angel blade down” Dean explains. “Only the best for my sunshine.”

Cas laughs and kisses his fiancé, his eyes no doubt shining with the snare power he’ll never need again for as long as they live.

#my writings #destiel #siren!cas #mechanic!dean

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overstalking · 8 years ago

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Hey, I hope you're having a snazzy day! I know you have a lot of requests ( and I honestly don't know how you do it all) - but if you ever have the time, could I request Reaper, McCree, Sombra, or whomever you see fit with a collared and leashed "pet" ( chained up at home for their pleasure, or going out for a walk, it's all up to you!) Thank you and good luck!

Reaper:

It had originally been to keep you bound to the room Gabriel was keeping you inside.You had long since learned that it was a dumb idea to try to fly by him through the door, your last attempts leaving harsh marks around your neck. Besides, he liked it when you did that because of the way your blood would seep down over your collarbone and soak into your clothes; there was no way you were going to give him the pleasure of drawing your own blood.

The shackle around your neck no longer served only to keep you captive, but because he loved how it looked on you. The thought was infuriating and you had thought about clawing away at it until you bled to death but you were sure he would find some way to keep you alive and make you suffer. It was annoying when he would unhook the chain that kept you attached to the wall and would drag you around the home so you could spend some time with him. Reaper would smirk at the look on your face when he would pull you hard enough to make you drop to the floor, mentioning that you should do that more often since you looked good that way.

You wanted to spit in his face every time he led you around like you were some kind of animal but you knew if you did something like that you’d be in a world of trouble. So you did your best to seem subdued and behave as not to give him anything to use against you, not that, that stopped him when he felt like using you like a carving board; it made you feel better knowing he was hurting you for absolutely no reason. It kept you from slipping into the complacency you knew he wanted from you. There was no way in hell you were going to become his obedient toy.

McCree:

When taking you in he had determined to turn you into his puppy, smiling at the thought of you eagerly waiting for him when he got home and following him around all day. Of course, achieving this was easier said than done but that didn’t mean Jesse would be giving in anytime soon. It was all about getting you into the right mindset and making sure you understood that it was either become what he wanted or be punished. You were a tough one but even the strongest of spirits could be broken, with love.

It was absolute hell for you. Since you refused to willingly crawl around on your hands and knees, Jesse used leather straps to keep your legs bent at all times; gracious enough to give your knees some padding. He had decided to take the time to work you up to the ears and tail but had wasted no time in wrapping a collar around your neck and attaching a leash to it. When you had the leash on it was the only time you were allowed to move around the house, he tied it around any random place he could find so that you were forced to kneel there and wait until he told you to do something.

Jesse would babytalk you like you were a puppy and run his fingers through your hair, smiling at you when you listened and stayed quiet. It was when you back talked him and tried to undo the straps around your legs when he’d get upset with you, loop his fingers around the collar and yank you around until you were choking from the force. The more time you spent with him, the more you could feel your willpower begin to wear out; making you wonder if it was worth putting up a fight. One time, when he had asked you to bark, you had caught yourself almost obeying him. It was terrifying.

Sombra:

The collar and leash had been pretty unexpected with Sombra, in your opinion but you shouldn’t have been too surprised; she was into just about anything. And when she explained to you why she was putting a collar on you, you finally understood. “Not only does it look cute but it’s super special too. I’ve got a tracking chip in there and if you try leaving the house it’ll give you a really nasty shock, so you’d better not try it amorcita,” she had explained as she locked it into place before pressing a kiss to your forehead. You spent some time staring at it in the mirror when she left. It had her signature color glowing all around it, the skull flashing in the center every minute or so.

You should have known better than to test out how far you could go, Sombra was a genius, but you couldn’t help yourself. It was only natural for you to try to leave captivity. As soon as you went past the doormat a loud, long shriek left your lips and you crumbled to the floor, nearly convulsing with the shocks that were passing through your body. It took every bit of your strength to drag yourself back inside. Soft sobs left your throat when you finally made it past the frame of the door, it had hurt a lot worse than you thought it would.

When she came back to check in on you, she had a big smile on her face, little ‘tsks’ leaving her full lips. “Planning to make a run for it earlier, huh? It hurt a lot, right? Not such a smart idea but hey, I’ll let you have another go at it,” she purred out, snapping a leash around the collar you had on and she began dragging you towards the front door. “No! I didn’t try to run away, I promise! Please don’t,” you sobbed out as she forcibly dragged you out of the front door, screams filling the air as she kept you just past the doormat, Sombra laughing as you tried to crawl back through the open door.

#sombra #mccree #reaper #yandere overwatch #if anyone can get the reference in mccrees ill give you a cookie

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by-her-posts-blog · 6 years ago

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Can Transparency Erase the Caricatures Surrounding Black Women?

She has three personalities: The go-getter, the self-aware angel, and the ‘bitch’. While blossoming into her womanhood she realizes that there is room for all three facets of herself to exists simultaneously. The 21-year-old is focused solely on creating a larger space in society for these personalities to flourish free of judgment.

Caricatures of Black women are everywhere.

We can easily find remnants of ourselves in films, TV shows, commercials, music video, and more recently memes. These depictions have evolved from the black-and-white films of the distressed mammy character who loves her master’s children more than her own or the hypersexual Jezebel who can’t seem to keep her pussy to herself. Nonetheless, these characters have morphed into modern day minstrels that we can now stand to laugh at because no one is dressed in blackface; or so we think?

If you look at modern Black television, you can easily pick apart the character dynamic of the black female cast. Black women play the same role even on TV shows that are supposed to be inclusive to the experiences of Black and brown people. If you look at Issa Rae’s Insecure, you’ll notice the limited narratives that each actress plays. Although there is a level of complexity to each character; at the end of the day they still play up to the stereotypes.

For instance, take a look at Yvonne Orji’s character Molly. Molly is the independent Black woman out of the group; similar to characters like Toni from Girlfriends, Taraji P. Henson in Act Like a Woman Think Like A Man and every Gabrielle Union role. For Molly to be “independent” she must be a narcissistic, over-achieving, and financially successful woman who emasculates Black men and looks down on those who are not in her tax bracket. Underneath this image exists a woman filled with pain. She wants to be vulnerable but is afraid because she has been conditioned for so long to be independent. She must go on a Hero’s Journey to find out that she can be independent, successful, and vulnerable at the same time. This, of course, must be discovered in the span of 120 minutes because there is a solution (whether good or bad) at the end of every movie. The upside is that these are visualizations that show that it is possible for Black women to have more than one identity. The downside is that the negative caricature sticks more.

The truth of the matter is that most Black women don’t have time to go on a Hero’s Journey. We don’t have the resources to unlearn years of conditioned behavior. Instead, we find comfortability in the familiarity of the characters that we see in the media regardless of how detrimental they are.

Balancing three different personalities for her is a full-time job. One that she is still trying to perfect. Her petite frame is packed to capacity with her hopes, dreams, and present-day realities. The bookbag that she carries protrudes out reflecting her 19 credit course-work. She takes a slight pause as she explains the difference between herself- the high-strung future attorney who takes advantage of every opportunity that is given to her, BB- the unfiltered daughter of a Liberian immigrant family who is trying to become more patient- and Beauty, the spiritual being who wants her vulnerability to not be received as a weakness.

It’s difficult.

All three identities are markers of her womanhood. The makeup of each identity reveals the complexity of human nature which is not applied to Black women. Her main identity- independent, brave, and ambitious- is deeply rooted in her upbringing. Growing up in a semi-traditional Liberian American househould allowed her to find her own balance in being a nurturer and a feminist.

“I fought or resisted a lot of gender roles, but everything else wasn't traditional. I remember being like I refuse to wash the dishes if my brother doesn't wash the dishes; like we both gotta learn how to clean. That was like a big thing for me,” she said.

Her womanhood is a wobbly pegged chair of traditionalism and resistance. Though she started developing a voice of resistance the need to take care of everyone around counters some of her refusals. “Just being an immigrant to like really really Liberian parents made me have to like take care of them. Just from the beginning, it was like simple things like people not being able to understand what they say,” she said.

The need to take care of everyone around her is a behavior trait that she learned from her mother. Her family fled Liberia when she was 3-years-old which made it difficult to maintain kinship with her blood relatives. Despite the disconnect from her homeland; her mother was able to find a mother figure in America which later become a strong grandmother figure for her. Watching her mother take care of her American grandmother created a “bad definition of family” for her. What she’s referring to is the unaltered relationship of taking care of everyone around you except for yourself. The nurturing and caring aspect of herself almost tempted her to adopt her niece at 19-years-old while she was still a child herself. The need to take care of everyone around her does not help the vulnerable Beauty who also needs to be nurtured. Her main personality takes the stage most of the time despite her being ‘highly emotional’ which she admits does not show at all in a lot of what she does.

She shows up in the world like most Black women do- unafraid.

Patriarchy accompanied by racism leaves little room in our everyday lives to be vulnerable in spaces that are not identified as safe. These spaces are often ones that we spend the most time in. Those spaces for her are work, school, and anything that involves people that she cannot trust. The fear of not being received forces her to draw boundaries between her three personalities- mostly because she is still working on allowing them to exists in different spaces simultaneously. “I’m not very used to sharing my feelings with other people. I wrote a lot because of that,” she said.

Learning to isolate those personalities is a defense mechanism that she has adopted in order to survive. However, in the eyes of her counterparts, she is viewed as aggressive and angry. It doesn’t matter that she’s extremely selfless and will give her last to anyone she considers a friend, or that, she’s working to create safe spaces for black and brown children to be themselves because in the eyes of others she is perceived as a caricature.

Her desire to succeed causes her to sometimes be loud and aggressive to seize the opportunity. These are characteristics that white males are applauded for possessing and even white women are commended for showing a little force when they are going after something that they want. For Black women, this is a necessary tool to be heard. However, the limits that are placed upon us when it comes to identifying ourselves makes it difficult to turn it off. Her “aggression” caused her to lose her footing in a race for student government. She was labeled as “too confrontational” by her white male counterpart who was her running mate.

“It took everything in me not to kind of pop off, not even in a negative way, but just prove my case because I knew that if I were not on the ticket they wouldn’t have a chance of winning,” she said.

No one bothered to challenge him either. The comment left her with more than just a cracked ego- it fractured a huge part of herself that she worked so hard to build. As a result, they lost the election and she suffered from an emotional disconnect.

The side effects of stereotypes include more than just embarrassment; it causes us to view ourselves differently. Growing up Black requires a thick layer of skin. Our loved ones train us on how to avoid racial biases. They teach us that we must work ten times harder. However, what they leave out is the emotional trauma that’s coupled with having to work around racism. Being strong, loud, and assertive are tactics that she had to adopt to adapt, but they’re also key elements of who she is which is something that she realized while trying to cope.

Two things brought her back to reality. First, it was a moment of self-realization. “I had to remind myself who I was. I had to say to myself: ‘you worked so hard to be where you are,’ Taking losses should not take away from what you’ve already proven.” Second, it was her ability to be vulnerable with herself and those around her. She spent the remaining three months sitting in the emotion that we as Black women avoid: sadness. Her support system wrapped her up in words of encouragement to help her get back on track. Still, that little voice inside her head questioned if she was valuable. However, a summer internship silenced it for good. She had the opportunity to work alongside an attorney for the summer. She was the only undergraduate student at the firm working amongst Law school students.

“My work ethic reminded me of just the power that I had, and I don’t think I would have made it if I didn’t have that work,” she admitted honestly.

The position not only restored her personal faith, but it allowed her to love all the pieces to her unique puzzle.

Being able to exist as more than just one person is a difficult task for Black women. It requires confidence, transparency, and a strong community. She is currently working on creating safe spaces within her personal, work, and school life for Black women to be every inch of ourselves. It’s not an easy task, but she is more than capable of achieving it.

All of who she is radiates from her deep cocoa skin. Her confidence sits atop her beautiful bush; her femininity rides along the stride of her walk, and if you look into her brown eyes long enough you can see just how big her heart is.

#blackgirlmagic #black women #philly #selflove

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diannaphantomfiction · 8 years ago

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Cerulean Wing

Chapter 2 of ?

Fandom(s): Miraculous Ladybug

Rating: K+

Summary: AU: Marinette might not have been chosen to be Ladybug, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have the potential to be a great holder. Gabriel Agreste sees this potential and decides that perhaps it is time to pass the Peacock Miraculous onto a new Holder. With Ladybug and Chat Noir behind her, Marinette becomes Paris’s newest superhero, Cerulean Wing.

Date Uploaded: April 21st, 2017

On Ao3: Here

On FanFiction: Here

Next (Coming Soon)

Notes: I got the idea of making Marinette the Peacock from imthepunchlord’s series “Always a Hero, No Matter the Miraculous.” This Chapter is more set up! Be ready for the good stuff next chapter!

Today was not Marinette’s day. Today was absolutely, positively not her day. Any day that started by being paired up with Chloe and Sabrina for a physics project was destined to be bad, but it just kept getting worse. First, Marinette, in what must have been a bout of insanity inspired by Ladybug and Alya, had decided to stand up to Chloe on Sabrina’s behalf. That had convinced Sabrina that they were best friends, and while Marinette was all for making new friends this was taking it a little too far.

Then, an Akuma had attacked Chloe. Nothing bad had happened; Ladybug and Chat Noir had showed up insanely quickly and chased the Akuma off. Almost immediately after the attack, Sabrina’s parents (both of them being in law enforcement) had heard about the attack and called her home before the two girls had even been able to start their project and Marinette hadn’t had anything to else to do so she went home as well.

And finally, the cream of the crop, the Akuma, who turned out to be Nathaniel calling himself Evillustrator, had erased her window and asked her to spend his birthday with him. Like a date. Marinette had agreed out of what was mostly fear of what he would do if she said no. She had said yes to going on a date with someone who was essentially being psychically controlled because she was scared of him. Everything about this made her insides feel slimy. Like tar had coated her internal organs.

“Ladybug and Chat Noir are going to lecture me, aren’t they?” she asked her empty room, moving to touch to edge of her erased window curiously. Huh, it wasn’t sharp, just no glass than suddenly glass. That was a little scary, actually. That was not how the laws of physics were supposed to work.

Fumbling with her phone, Marinette opted to ignore the sixteen missed calls from Sabrina and hit the speed dial app to call Alya.

Alya picked up after the second ring, “Mari! I heard you were there when the Akuma attacked Chloe! You have to tell me everything!”

“Maybe later. Alya this is really important; do you think Ladybug and Chat Noir pay attention to your blog?”

“I mean, I think so,” Alya said, “But there’s no way to really know for sure. Why?”

“I…I need to get a message to them. This was the only way I could think of.”

“Marinette.” Worry practically dripped off her voice as she spoke. “What happened?”

Marinette took a deep breath, “I was just visited by Nathaniel, who’s been akumatized.”

Alya was quiet for a couple seconds before letting out a short string of curses. “Did he hurt you?”

Marinette shook her head before she remembered Alya couldn’t see her. “No. He…asked me on a date?”

“Please tell me you said yes.”

Marinette froze, her hand gripping the phone so hard she heard it creak a little. She seriously hoped that Alya wasn’t asking so she could get Marinette to record her date for the Ladyblog. “…I did.”

Alya sighed, “Good. No telling what he would have done if you said no.”

Marinette’s heart skipped a beat. What would Nathaniel have done? He’d promised not to hurt her, but what if she had refused? What if Hawkmoth ordered him to take her to draw out Paris’s heroes? Marinette shivered at the thought.

“Don’t worry girl. I’ll get the word out right away. I’m sure it’ll get to Ladybug and Chat Noir before long.”

“Thanks Alya.” Marinette chewed on her lip nervously. Maybe she should take her pocket knife/belt buckle with her, just in case.

There were very few things about being Ladybug that Rose Lavillant didn’t like. Her newly acquired lack a sleep, the distrust her parents and siblings now associated with her, and having to use Juleka as a regular excuse/alibi were pretty much the extent of the short list. Yet, Chloe Bourgeois was quickly making her way onto that list. She just spent the last ten minutes taking selfies with Ladybug, despite her hero’s obvious discomfort. And now, only a minute after claiming that everyone loved her, Chloe was trying to force Chat to do her Physics project.

Rose knew her partner loved Physics; after all she’d gotten more than a few frustrated lecture about how their powers shouldn’t work and how much it bugged him. Like anyone who loved something, he had a slight hatred for anyone who trivialized or insulted the thing he loved. So, she wasn’t surprised to see Chat’s tail-belt-thing flicking back and forth in irritation as he offered to tutor her, repeating that he wasn’t going to just do her homework. Chloe had chosen to once again ignore the offer and scoff at the idea of doing her own homework.

As she grew more and more agitated at Chloe’s blatant disrespect of her partner, Rose was honestly glad when her earrings vibrated softly. Tikki was alerting her of a mention of Evillustrator online before she lost what little control she had not to yell at Chloe. Rose pulled out her yoyo and flipping it open, read the new post on the Ladyblog. Rose covered her mouth and gasped. Marinette! Of course! Nathaniel had a crush on Marinette!

“Chat! I just got a lead I think we should check out.”

Chat peaked around Chloe, one side of his mask moving upward with his eyebrow. “You sure, Buggie?”

Ladybug nodded, “Positive. This is far better than just waiting and hoping he’s going to want revenge on Miss Chloe.”

Chat nodded happily, side stepping around Chloe and hooking his arm around Ladybug’s playfully. “Where are we heading, Little Lady?”

“You know Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie?”

Chat nodded and plucked his staff off his belt with a mischievous grin on his face. “Race you there, Buggie!”

Chat ran across the large balcony and launched himself over the side with help from his staff.

Ladybug giggled, her wings buzzing softly as she ran after him, “No fair Chat! You got a head start!” Ladybug jumped over the railing herself and threw out her yoyo to the nearest place it could grapple, her wings flaring out to slow her fall a little. Ahead of her, Chat was doing far more flips and maneuvers than was necessary, his slim form (far to thin in Ladybug’s opinion) moving in ways no human should be able to. Ladybug’s wings beat quickly, allowing her to hover in the air for just a second longer than gravity would naturally allow so she could throw out her yoyo to a new spot. Her short defiance of gravity wasn’t visible to the civilians on the ground or even to Chat. Those short helpful hovers and a short, speedy flight for ramming or a desperate get away was all she could do with her wings. Tikki had assured her that was normal, referring to Rose as a larva affectionately and promising that once she built up her stamina she would be able to fly for up to 2 hours straight, traveling up to 74 miles at top speed if need be. Using the yoyo was currently easier on her physically, even if it was bit of a mental workout.

Chat landed on the roof nearest to the bakery a few seconds before Ladybug, sticking a perfect Olympic level landing as easy as he breathed. Ladybug smirked and took the unspoken challenge, landing gracefully beside her partner as though she’d just completed a difficult jump in ballet class. Chat stuck his tongue out at her, his tail happily curling upward a little. Ladybug just smiled and clipped her yoyo to her skirt, turning her attention to Marinette, who was standing in her doorway, appearing to be arguing with Sabrina.

“Me-ouch!” Chat exclaimed, “That girl’s got some claws!”

And the puns were back… Ladybug gave Chat an exasperated look, but choose not to comment. Commenting would just make it worse. The two partners waited until Sabrina had walked just far enough away to not see them to drop down. Marinette jumped a little, he eyes wide and a small yelp escaping her throat. Ladybug relaxed her stance, ensuring that her body language was open, but professional. Rose was friends with Marinette, but Ladybug wasn’t.

“Hello, are you Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” Rose let a friendly smile tug on her lips, purposely ignoring the fact that Chat thought “Sassy” was the correct way to greet a civilian.

Marinette smiled, a little too wide, her eyes darting back and forth between the two heroes. “Yes! Uh, Hello!”

“I’m Ladybug and this is Chat Noir.”

Then, much to both the girls’ surprise, Chat bowed low at the waist to Marinette, “A pleasure to meet you, Princess!”

Ladybug’s eyes danced with wonder. Oh. My. God. He was flirting with her! Chat was flirting with Marinette! Ladybug found herself barely able to contain herself, but she was able to stop herself from jumping up and down in excitement. Why hadn’t she thought of this sooner?! Chat and Marinette would be perfect for each other! It was just like in one of those teenage rom-coms! The big brother and the sister’s good friend!

Ladybug stifled an excited squeal and pocked Chat in the side a little too hard. Chat pouted at her, his cat ears drooping a little.

Marinette giggled and tugged on one of her pigtails, “Yeah, I know. You guys only save Paris all the time.”

Chat beamed with pride as Ladybug smiled gently, “We do our best. You said on the Ladyblog that you were visited by the Evillustrator?”

Marinette nodded and pulled a little card out of her jacket and handed it to Chat. “He didn’t hurt me, he just wanted me to go on a date with him tonight.”

Chat examined the card carefully as Ladybug stared at her friend in shock. No way sweet, but generally nervous Marinette had said yes, right? “And you agreed?”

Marinette nodded slowly, “I… didn’t know what else to do?”

“You shouldn’t have agreed. You’re a civilian.”

“Come on, Buggie,” Chat said, pocketing the card, “What was she supposed to do? Akuma are unpredictable. If she had said no, he might have just kidnapped her.”

Marinette squared her shoulders and set her jaw, a confidence Rose was used to seeing in filling her eyes, “Maybe I could help.”

“No!” Chat and Ladybug found themselves snapping in unison.

Marinette crossed her arms. Ladybug pouted angrily in response. Chat looked between the two girls wondering who was going to blink first.

“You’re a civilian,” Ladybug insisted, “I will gladly lock you in a closet if it keeps you safe.”

“She’s not lying. She locked me in a closet once,” Chat offered, knowing full and well that the girls weren’t listening to him.

“The butterfly is in his pen. How exactly do you plan to get close enough to take it from him?”

“That is an excellent question,” Chat said, pointing at Marinette.

“Not by putting a civilian directly in danger!”

The two girls glared at each other for what had to be a good minute before Ladybug finally gave in. She couldn’t believe she was agreeing to this… “Fine. But we’re going to watch the entire time and the second you get a chance to take the pen you do. You take the pen, give it to us, and then you run. No arguments.”

Marinette nodded, “Deal.”

Chat cleared her throat and both of the girls looked over at his so fast they could have gotten whiplash. “So, when are you meeting Evillustrator?”

“At sunset, on the left bank by Notre Dame.”

Chat scooped up Marinette’s hand and planted a light kiss on it before Marinette could react. Marinette’s face shifted into a look of shock, obviously taken aback by the blatant show of affection.

“We’ll see you then, Princess!” With a smile, Chat used his staff to propel himself up to the rooftops above him.

Ladybug couldn’t help but beam at Marinette. Marinette and Chat were so cute! Rose was going to get them together if it was the last thing she did! Assuming Marinette didn’t get herself killed tonight.

Marinette fingered her belt buckle, quickly pulling the little knife out of the buckle and flicking it open. She knew she couldn’t wait her much longer, the sun was getting increasingly low in the sky and Evillustrator would be waiting for her. Still, focusing on this made her feel a little braver. She wasn’t 100% sure why she had insisted on doing this, Marinette was no hero. She didn’t have any special powers; she couldn’t leap from rooftop to rooftop or destroy things with a simple touch or restore millions of Euros of damage with mystical glowing Ladybugs.

But, Chat had called her princess and not in the insulting way guys always seemed to mean. He had meant it. Her stomach had flipped when he said it, kissing her hand, as a knight would have in a King Arthur story. During her childhood, Marinette’s parents had taken turns telling her stories. Her father would tell her all the traditional European stories; Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, but her mother had always told her Chinese stories. Her favorite was the story of Princess Pingyang, the daughter of a Chinese Emperor and a great warrior. She led an army and helped her father rise to power, winning the hearts of her people. That was what Marinette had always thought a Princess should be like rather than the damsels from the European stories and she didn’t fit that at all. If Chat Noir wanted to call her princess, than she was going to earn that title.

Marinette put her knife back in place and shook out her arms, trying to look relaxed and glanced upward. If Ladybug hadn’t told her where to look, Marinette wouldn’t have seen the bug themed heroine. One would think all the bright red on her suit (cheerleader uniform?) would work against her in terms of stealth, but she somehow managed to sink into the shadows just right and hide fairly well. Of course, she had no idea where to even start look for Chat Noir, who moved almost silently and wore all black, but she trusted he was nearby. Marinette walked over to where she was supposed to meet Evillustrator. He was drawing on his tablet, having created a long boat with a mini recreation of one of the most famous pictures of the Eiffel Tower. Marinette had to hold back a gasp. He’d taken everything into account; size, tree and light placement, even the light of the moon. It made the most beautiful little scene. He’d done all this for her?

There was a small flash of purple as a moth shaped image hovered above Evillustrator’s eyes and he started to speak. Was he… talking to Hawk Moth? Suddenly, his hand spasmed and he gripped it tightly, his face contorting in pain and horror. This time, Marinette did gasp. Was Hawk Moth hurting him? Nathanael didn’t deserve that.

Marinette smiled softly. She could make this a good night for him, he wouldn’t have to hurt anyone if she got the pen fast enough and gave it to Ladybug. The Akuma would be cleansed and Nathanael would be home in time for bed. Marinette walk forward, smiling brightly at her classmate, “Happy birthday!”

Nathanael jumped up, seeming to regain control of his hand, “Marinette!”

Nathanael jumped over to her a bright smile on his face, gently placing a hand on the small of her back and gesturing toward the boat with the other one, “Thank you for coming.”

“It’s so beautiful,” Marinette said, taking the scene in up close, “Did you make all this?”

His eyes shone with pride, “I did and all for you! Do you like it?”

Marinette smiled. This was honestly so sweet. Even as an Akuma, Nathanael didn’t seem to want to hurt anything, so long as he was happy. “I love it. It’s really amazing.”

Nathanael’s smile brightened. “I’m really glad.”

Nathanael drew a bench out for the two of them sitting down gently once it appeared. Marinette followed his lead, sitting down on the bench and taking a relaxed, friendly posture. A soft buzz that could be easily mistaken for city noise reached her ears. A quick flash of red streaked past in the corner of her eye. She was glad that Nathanael was too focused on her to have seen Ladybug dart to a safer distance. As Marinette looked around she saw that Ladybug was much further away than she thought even a superhero could get to in a couple seconds.

Hm. Maybe Ladybug could fly, at least a little.

“I can get the boat started, if you’d like?”

Marinette nodded at Nathanael, blushing at his smile. What in the world had she done to get that look of adoration?

…Was that how she looked at Adrian?

Nathanael placed his pen on the tablet just as a thick cluster of dark cloud rolled in front of the moon. Nathanael growled loudly, glaring up at the clouds as if they had personally insulted him. He looked… violent. A chill ran down Marinette’s spine as she reminded herself that this was an Akuma, an unpredictable villain controlled by Hawk Moth, not just sweet and shy Nathanael.

He muttered to himself as he leaned down towards one of the lamps and drew a glowing moon over the little Eiffel Tower. Of course, he was an artist and all artists needed to be able to see what they were doing to make anything. All right, that was a weakness she could pass on the Ladybug and Chat Noir if she needed to.

Nathanael turned back to her, his smile back again. “Sorry about that,” He said as he tapped his tablet twice.

The boat started moving at a leisurely pace. There were a few seconds of awkward silence before Nathanael’s eyes lit up and he placed his pen to his tablet again. Music lofted softly out of it in time with the musical notes that he drew. It was beautiful. The river, the lights, the music; it was a nearly perfect date and if she wasn’t on it with an Akuma, Marinette would have been having a good time.

Chat Noir jumped across a couple rooftops, making himself fully visible to Marinette on purpose. Was that supposed to be a signal? Marinette was going to take that as a signal.

Marinette turned to distract Nathaniel, smiling friendlily and scooting just a little bit closer. “You’re so talented! I just don’t understand why you would want to use your power to hurt people.”

“Not all people, just Chloe,” Nathaniel answered, his voice soft and reassuring, “And I’ll never do that again. After all, you kept your promise, so I’ll keep mine.”

Marinette leaned closer, “I actually draw a little too. I’m not as good as you are, of course…”

“I’m sure you’re a wonderful artist.”

Marinette draped her arm over the back of the bench, glancing back quickly at where Chat Noir and Ladybug had landed. Both heroes had their weapons at the ready, crouched low and shoulders tensed in anticipation of their attack. Marinette waved them off. She was all right; she just needed a couple more seconds….

“Well, can I draw you something special for your birthday?” Marinette reached forward and softly gripped the top of his pencil with two fingers. For a second, the shock on his face makes it look as if he was insulted that she’d stopped his in the middle of a pen stroke. Marinette has to be careful not to let her nerves show, making an effort to keep her face calm and pleasant and her shoulders from tensing.

The shock quickly melts off Nathaniel’s face, once again replaced with wonder and adoration, “That would be amazing…”

The moment was broken suddenly by a single sharp tap echoing behind them. Marinette had to physically stop herself from wincing. Ladybug’s heel. The entire plan was going to be ruined by Ladybug’s impossible (probably magical) Wonder Woman heels. What kind of superhero battled crime in 4-inch block heels anyways?

“Marinette. Give me my pencil back. I need to draw something. Now.”

‘”No, I’m… keeping it!” Marinette snatched the pencil and darted away from Nathaniel, “Chat Noir! Ladybug!”

A zipping sound and the whirr of Chat’s extending staff reached her ears as soon as she was off the bench. Turning she saw Chat’s staff had pinned Nathaniel to the bench and Ladybug had wrapped her yoyo string around the arm with his tablet on it.

“Marinette!” Nathaniel growled, his mouth pulled into an angry snarl and his eyes hard, “You’re working with them?! I'm so stupid... I actually thought you liked me! But you're really just like Chloé. Teasing me, mocking me, leading me on!”

Marinette made a frustrated noise and stomped her foot. “Come on! Seriously?! Why is everyone comparing me to Chloe today?!”

Chat Noir’s grip seemed to loosen a bit as he looked at Marinette.

“Marinette! Break the pen!” Ladybug shouted, pulling Nathaniel’s arm back so quickly the tablet cracked.

Nathaniel let out a loud, angry scream and moved to try to attack Ladybug, but the bug themed hero was too fast. Her wings buzzing so fast Marinette couldn’t see them as she jumped over Nathaniel and landed next to Marinette, her yoyo extended just enough so that it could be thrown out easily.

Marinette dropped the pen and stomped hard, breaking it under her foot. Marinette let out a small gasp as a surprisingly pretty purple and white butterfly fluttered out. Ladybug’s yoyo shot out opening and then closing around the Akuma as Chat and Nathaniel wrestled around on the floor of the boat. Chat had the advantage of supernatural strength, but Nathaniel seemed perfectly willing to use his elbows, knees, and teeth to try to get Chat off him.

Ladybug somehow balanced up on one toe, the other leg tucked up like a ballerina, and spun, throwing her yoyo up as she did, releasing a slightly glowing pure white butterfly into the air. The tiny superhero came to a stop, toes pointed just right. She had to be a ballerina Marinette realized; there was no way anyone who wasn’t trained in ballet would choose to move like that. She pulled her yoyo back to her hand for just a second before throwing it back into the air.

“Miraculous Ladybug!”

Hundreds of glowing pink Ladybugs shot out of her yoyo, spreading out over the city to fix any damage Nathaniel may have done. Marinette found herself hoping they got rid of the pigeons that had taken up residence in her room. Marinette sighed softly as the ladybugs flew over them, disappearing Nathaniel’s work before they disappeared themselves. Chat jumped up as black-purple goo spread over Nathaniel, turning him back into his true form.

Ladybug held out her a closed fist to Marinette, beaming. “You did a good job.”

“Oh!” Marinette smiled sheepishly, bumping her fist against the super heroine’s. “Thanks.”

“But you’re never doing this again, got it?”

Marinette chuckled, “I’ll try.”

“M-Marinette?” Marinette turned to see Chat Noir helping Nathaniel up.

“Nathaniel, are you alright?”

Nathaniel looked between Chat Noir and Ladybug nervously, “Was I an Akuma?”

Ladybug nodded, “You were. How are you doing?”

“Uh, confused?”

“That’s normal.” Ladybug smiled lightly, “It might help you to know that you didn’t hurt anyone. You were by far the least destructive Akuma Chat and I have ever fought.”

Nathaniel looked down nervously, “T-thanks? Marinette, what are you doing here? I didn’t…?”

Marinette squeezed Nathaniel’s shoulder, “No, of course not. You were a gentleman. You asked me on a date, which I agreed to of my own free will-“

“Which will never happen again!”

Marinette sighed, letting her face fall into her hands. “…She’s been saying that all day.”

Nathaniel smiled, a light blush dusting his cheeks. “I’m sure she means well.”

“Ladybug’s just protective is all,” Chat said, walking over to them, “She doesn’t like seeing people in danger. Why don’t we get you two home? I’m sure your families are worried about you.”

Ladybug and Chat Noir grabbed Nathaniel and Marinette, jumping off the boat and carrying them to the riverbank. Chat Noir held her lightly, but securely against his side. Marinette couldn’t help but blush. Chat Noir had the body proportions of a model and absolutely no fat on his waist and hips. Marinette may have been worried about that if she also didn’t feel his defined abs and thick biceps.

“Hold on, Princess,” he said, extending his staff to the ground. Marinette wrapped her arms around his neck. Chat pushed off the boat, using his staff to safely propel his jump to the riverbed.

He touched down lightly as Ladybug’s earrings beeped. She winced and turned to her partner, who simply nodded and gestured for her to leave.

“Do either of you need help getting home? I have plenty of time left to help you out.”

Nathaniel shook his head, “We’re only a few minutes from my apartment, I can make it back without a problem.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I need to do some thinking anyways.”

“Alright. What about you, Princess?”

Marinette looked around and shook her head, “I’m not sure how to get home from here.”

Chat visibly perked up, his tail straightening out and his ears rotating forward as his eyes lit up. Marinette had to stop herself from laughing at the superhero. He was literally the human embodiment of an actual cat.

Chat flourished into a low bow, positively glowing, “It would be my honor to escort you home, Princess!”

Marinette yelped as Chat pulled her close, jumping into the air before she could respond to his offer or say goodbye to Nathaniel. Chat Noir form of travel was fairly rough. He mostly used his staff to propel himself over buildings, but sometimes he had to use the buildings themselves. Even with Marinette in his arms, he moved with grace, purpose, and balance that no human had business being capable of.

It only took them a little over five minutes to get to Marinette’s house. Chat Noir landed on her balcony, setting her down as he did.

“Thank you, Chat Noir.”

Chat Noir crouched on the railing naturally. “It’s my pleasure, Princess.”

Marinette rolled her eyes, but smiled. He meant well and it wasn’t doing anything wrong after all.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said, “Nothing happened.”

“Alright, if you’re sure. Just try not to get involved like that again, okay?”

Marinette couldn’t help but smirk, “So Ladybug isn’t the only protective one?”

Chat laughed. “No, I guess not. She just usually shows it by yelling at you or shoving you in ‘safe places.’”

“And you?”

Chat shrugged in response, “I don’t like to take people's choices away. But, it would make me feel better if you didn’t throw yourself into possible danger regularly.”

Marinette nodded, an easy smile plastered on her face. “I’ll do my best. “

“That’s all I ask.” Chat stood up and rolled his shoulders before plucking her staff from the small of his back. “I need to get going. Have a good night, Princess!”

With that, Chat jumped off her balcony, using his staff to propel himself across the street before disappearing into the night. Marinette watched the direction he had disappeared for about thirty seconds longer than she needed to. Chat Noir was pleasantly surprising. Marinette climbed back into her room, quietly. Her parents were likely already asleep so they could be up for work in the early morning. Equally as quietly, she got ready for bed. Now that she had stopped moving and the adrenaline had drained away, she found that the night had been extremely tiring. Her limbs felt heavy and her eyes kept slipping closed.

Her mind muddled with drowsiness and still full of the night’s events, Marinette failed to notice the black hexagon shaped box waiting to be opened on her vanity.

#fanfiction #Cerulean Wing #Miraculous Ladybug #AU #kwami swap #marichat

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